A yuan, a pound or a kiwi for your thoughts?
by Mantyke30
Summary: Its been years since China had seen England, their rift keeping them apart due to the opium incident & with Hong Kong's custody case. But when England suddenly arrives with another little boy, what part does China have to play in the child's life? CHAPTER 14 UP! Rated M now for violence or a few cusses
1. Chapter 1: Distant Memories

Hello everyone :D This is my first ever Iggychu fanfic :3 collaborating with a friend of mine, she's helping me provide you readers with this

new story ^_^ I do hope you'd like it and you don't really need to leave reviews, but it would be splendid if we stumble upon some soon

/slapped xD Do have a good day and thank you for reading :D

P.S= i do not own any characters nor hetalia here xD

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**Chapter 1: Distant Memories**

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A bright and sunny day it has been, with fewer clouds to cover the light blue sky. A gentle breeze blew through the village, a calming feeling it is. The cattle graze alongside the sheep, the sheepdogs busily keeping the flocks together. The sweet smell of freshly baked bread wafts through the air, children following the aroma and the baker is happy enough to give some away. Despite such a lovely weather, people are quite busy at work, yet their smiles radiate to each and every one. Above the rolling hills and past the great river, nestled a quaint house. Its red ornaments sway with the wind, the chimes ring a melodic tone. A rather large golden dragon statue lay at its gates, a kind of security entrance for visitors. The village was known for its wide assortment of flowers, each coming from different places and countries, be it a gift or bought through travel.

Yet no one has had any better than his.

The garden has been growing beautifully, and the produce has been known to be high quality and the freshest you can buy. The bamboos stood tall and sturdy, although its supply continues to dwindle with all those pandas eating it daily. He made sure that he has enough to feed them all, because grumpy pandas are not a pretty sight. He pulled back a stray lock of hair from his face and sighed tiredly. It was a hard time trimming all the weeds away and watering all the vegetation. But the annual garden festival is drawing near, and staying champion is one way of making ends meet, a cash prize of over thirty thousand Yuan. Planting the Peony flowers was truly a great addition to his collection, and they have proven to bloom into such lovely flowers. The chrysanthemums have yet to fail in pleasing the judges, but that doesn't mean they would not grow tired of liking them. He surveyed each one, in case there is any pruning to be done. One particular bunch of flowers made him wrinkle his nose in distaste. Its pink colour mocks him, how weak it looks surrounded by the others. Blossoms looked plain and small, nothing quite special about it. Now why would it bother him so?

..How he was used to be called by that name..

He shrugged the thoughts and went back to work. No time for reminiscing. It's not like he would remember anyway. Thirteen? Fourteen? Fifteen years was it? That idiot probably forgot what happened. But at least he got the boy back. He was happy enough to keep him with him until now. No more begging for him to return the child to him. No more deals. No more sacrifices. He may have taken much from him, yet look at him now! Standing on his own two feet and one of the greatest nations everyone has ever known, down to the history books it did. Those who challenged him he faced head on, fighting to keep his home from those vultures that now struggle to keep afloat amidst the crisis. Secrets handed down from generation to generation; he perfected them all. Why, he even made all of them himself. He can do well just fine without anyone else.

After tending all of his pandas, he went inside and washed his hands. He smiled as he finally finished his work outside, and now he can relax and be at ease. He went to the living room and looked around. It seems that he couldn't find him anywhere, not even his room where he usually was. He looked out the window and a small patch of hair was sticking out from the grass. He chuckled to himself, so cute he was.

A boy with dark brown hair and gold eyes sat on their yard, playing listlessly with one of the baby pandas. Forever quiet he was, sadly; though he wasn't always that way. Happy go lucky he runs around, arms spread wide, yearning for a hug. He plays with the pandas every day, and they often get angry because of how he'd jump onto them and pull on their fur. Sometimes he caught him taking a nap on one of the panda's backs and he almost got sat on if he didn't get him off. Although he can be a handful, he made him so happy. Together, the three of them lived a rather quiet life.

Taking off his silk clothes, he left them neatly folded on the rack and got a towel from the shelves. He cut open a pack of jasmine flowers and placed them on a container, lighting the candle below and letting the aroma flood the bathroom. He turned on the shower head and got in, letting the warm water heat up his cooled flesh. He honestly did try to get buffer to relieve himself from his feminine built, but his body fails to do and he still had those curves he kept wondering where they came from.

"..At least the village knows that I am a man and no one has mistaken me for a lady yet aru.." He told himself.

He squirted out some shampoo into his hands and lathered his long hair gently. Never did he have thought to cut it off, it is like his trademark. No one has criticized him about it anyway and some even complimented that it suited him well.

..like how he complimented that it looked lovely..

This time he slapped himself for it and got shampoo on his eye. "..Aiyah!.." He exclaimed, washing his eye vigorously, cursing in Chinese. How unwise it was to keep thinking about it. He would end up hurting himself with the smallest of things if he doesn't get his head straight. Now annoyed, he rinsed his hair and soaped himself quickly before washing the suds off and grabbing the towel. Though it has been sunny recently, the breeze has made it quite chilly, making him shiver as he dries himself off.

"..A nice cup of tea would be good aru.." He thought, smiling as he anticipated an afternoon snack.

Carefully he wears new silk robes and stores his old ones into the laundry basket. Grabbing his favourite pair of shinatty-chan slippers and wore them, chuckling to himself as he walked downstairs to the kitchen. While the kettle boils, he reached into his cupboard and brought out one of his storage pots.

[..Oolong tea would be great today aru..] He thought. The kettle whistles, and in turn he brought out two cups with their respective saucers. Transferring the hot water into a teapot, he threw in the leaves and closed it tight; leaving it to brew. He waits patiently, looking around the kitchen until he finally noticed something peculiar. He stared at the tea set intently, thinking. Now why would he bring out two cups and saucers?

[..i-it's...it's for Hong aru!..yes for Hong..just Hong..] He thought, forcing his subconscious to take in the lame excuse for the real answer. Satisfied, he poured himself a full cup of oolong tea and sipped slowly. Suddenly he was at ease, its aroma calming his distress. Tea always helped him in these kinds of situations, and he was glad he had about twenty more jars of different varieties to match his mood.

[..He also liked Tea as much as I did..] He thought.

He brought the tea cup down gently before slamming his fist on the table. "..AYIAH! HE DOES NOT AND I DO NOT KNOW ANYONE WHO LIKES TEA AS MUCH AS ME!" he yelled in exasperation, eye twitching.

Great golden dragon what has gotten into him? He knew full well that his sanity has been kept at bay just enough, but that doesn't mean he hasn't thought about it. Every day at least one thought has wandered into the past, how it used to be. Yet those times are over, mere memories that should have been erased! Truly it was a nuisance to him that no matter what he does, that man has his ways of creeping into his psyche and just placed himself there like he was welcomed.

Hong Kong came in and stared at him. He blinked and looked at himself as he had a knife in between two neatly cut pieces of one of the cups, plus the saucer. An awkward silence fills the room as they stared at each other. The boy went closer and lifted the baby panda to him. Though a silent gesture, he took it gently and looked at its face. The baby panda smiled and its large eyes sparkled cutely. China smiled back and lifted the boy up to his lap while the panda climbed onto his head. He hugged him close and stroked his hair, briefly forgetting that he had just sliced one of his chinaware in half. Hong looked ever much like him. The same dark brown hair; the same golden eyes. The only flaw was those hideously thick eyebrows on his face, branding him of another. It reminded him painfully so of the man that once held him dear, like how he holds this boy close.

[..At least.. we are together aru..] He thought.

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Fin~ Onward to chapter 2 aru! ( *w*)/


	2. Chapter 2: Family Rebellion

Good day everyone :D Thank you to those who have viewed and read this fanfic of ours ^_^

today we present the second chapter of the story :3 I do hope you would like it as well. Reviews are greatly appreciated

^^ I apologize if there are typographic errors. It will be fixed when i notice them =)) ENJOY!

P.S: again i do not own hetalia xD

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**Chapter 2: Family rebellion**

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Across the seas and spinning the globe to about halfway around would eventually lead you to two countries in the ever famous continent: Europe. Amidst the bustling cities populated with its citizens and tourists to which it was known for, it is left behind to stray into the serene countryside shared by the latter. Sheep and cattle dotted along its hills, the sky quite in gloom yet hardly any rainfall. The sun starts to show itself after a five hour train ride, though it takes about an hour more to arrive to the final destination.

Here a large manor stood tall and mighty, towering over the plains and valleys that is inside its domain. At its height, the roof can be seen at the tips of the trees, welcoming its guests and at the same time radiate power; how surreal. Although this is known as a rest house, most of his business meetings are held here in private. Glimmering white and lined with statues of old, the manor has a total of fifteen rooms, six conference halls, a giant dining room and, to the delight of others, has eight bathrooms scattered all over in its three storey hold.

Stables on the right and the golf course to the left, this seven hundred acre land was handpicked to his wishes. A child's playground is hidden from view at the back, newly built complete with swings and slides; more than enough for two. The garden boasts a wide array of precious native and foreign flora, carefully pruned and managed by hired gardeners.

An armoured car enters its gates flanked with body guards, special agent personnel and very noisy sirens. The area surveyed and inspected, the guards gave the go signal and ushered their client inside. The halls were empty, every footstep echoed. Each door was opened by armed guards, a quick search for any unnecessary arms before letting them inside. Once did he stop to check if his blonde hair looked that marvellous on the wall-high mirror. A faint sound of laughter can be heard in one of its many rooms. He raised an eyebrow, slightly curious but the thought was easily dismissed as they were asked to stop. The conference room had massive doors decorated in intricate patterns. The British flag embossed largely for the visitor to see.

[..Sacre Bleu..Doesn't he ever stop being so proud?..] The man thought, rolling his eyes.

The doors open slowly and they walked inside. Two guards were left outside; just in case. Another man sat at the end of a long table, busily reading papers. He looked quite serious about it, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration so much that he has yet to notice his guest. His tea has gone cold, undesirable for him now. The papers were stacked high into four individual columns: statements, progress reports, problems and dues, and relations. Annoyed by his ignorance he tapped his foot impatiently, hoping to get his attention. His gesture was rewarded harshly.

"..Haven't you been taught the idea that tapping your foot is quite insulting to the other party?.." He said bluntly, looking up at him from his papers. He looked tired and problematic, but nevertheless his eyes never lose its focus; sometimes.

"..Mon cher..haven't they taught you either that keeping your guests waiting is also quite insulting?.." He said in mock tone. His blue eyes glint with mischief, his mouth twisted in a smug grin.

"..I have sent a letter a week before that our meeting would be cancelled for now. Tell me, why would you come here anyway France, if you please.." he said.

He walked to his side and patted his hair playfully. "..England you sour puss, don't go barking at me because of the qualms in your nation. I have arrived with a business deal for you that you must be dying to know about!" said France, dramatizing his words.

Sighing, England requested a butler to keep his papers away for now as France sat next to his seat. "..It's a bit difficult to pass around notes if I sit at the other end." He chuckled, bringing out a suitcase and filed the papers neatly on the table. The file was barely an inch thick, but it made the Englishman curious to what is in store for him. France has been having a crisis lately on resources, and possibly came to finally admit defeat and ask for help from the other nations. England rolled his eyes and waited patiently, his curiosity growing. Apparently the Frenchman decided to troll him by covering the papers using a folder, thus blocking his feat to take a peek at it.

"..Now, to business!.." He exclaimed, passing the file to England while opening a copy of his own. "..I do hope that you would agree with me that we have found enough reasons to pull through with this operation, if I can say so myself."

England raised an eyebrow and opened the file. Strangely enough, the first page comprises of a picture of an island in the south. Multiple diagrams were tallied in the next few pages citing mining possibilities, natural ore reserves, theoretical oil areas and many more. The coast of the island had sketches of fishing industries, a naval base and several nuclear reactors a few miles off. The dairy farms were noted and made smaller due to the needed space for the new infrastructures; some were even completely erased. A large patch of an existing forest was encircled and crossed out in red, an arrow pointing to a new headquarters with, sadly, both of their flags on it.

France on the other hand, was too busy chattering about the new project. "..The map is quite detailed. Almost everything is explained briefly on the pages. Though I think it would be better if the headquarters would be built a bit more to the left. We'll have a better view of the sea that way. Not much sun would shine but sunlight is great at exfoliating the skin~." He mused.

The discussion was not truly economical yet England still continued to stare at the island in disbelief. France was about to go through his ideas of a new French shopping mall when England slammed his hands onto the table, enraged.

"..E-eh?..Do you think the mall is too much?..We can just scratch that out if you want but I still want the mall somewhere if you don't mind. Everyone would get their necessities there." He said.

England flipped through the pages until he came back to the drawing of the island and slammed it down in front of him. "Either you have forgotten that quickly, or you deliberately decided to make plans even if I have told you already that you cannot!" he scowled.

On the paper lay a close up view of the Oceania islands. The main island featured was New Zealand, a small island nation below the Australian continent. The nation's main source of income would be the production of dairy products that are shipped all over the world. Conquering nations heard rumours of rich mineral deposits and its lush forests serve as a great source of lumber, food and many others.

"He is still a child. He would not understand any terms you would throw at him and I have clearly told you that I will not have you abuse his young age for you to hoard all of those natural resources for your own personal gain!" He spat.

"..England..Arthur..I am not hoarding those resources. Look! I even placed your flag there as a statement that we are sharing the nation! We will both help him understand what to do so that in the future he already knows how it is done. I will make sure that everything we would take would be replaced. By then there would be plenty of resources for the three of us." he said.

"..Do not use the term _we_ because I am not part of any of this! You are not even allowed to place settlements there!" He barked.

"..Hmmm..Think about it this way: We would be teaching your little spawn how to manage his own nation; how to use those resources for his own benefits and in helping out others who are in dire need of them. And act of kindness so to speak. Isn't that how parents are supposed to be to their children? Teachers?" He stated.

England grimaced. He knew full well that France would use that trick sooner or later. It wasn't that long ago when he had told France about the boy. He knew the risks to have a joint custody with another nation yet New Zealand needed a father. (Due to the fact that NZ already thought of him as his mum by then.) However, France has already been experiencing trouble at that time. To take him to a nation that has yet to realize its full potential has lead to great hazards. He had to protect NZ from him.

..It was either him or..

Clearing his throat he said defiantly, "Keep these files. You won't need them. New Zealand will decide on his own when he is older. Until then, you are not to lay a finger on his territory. Not one. I would personally see to it that none of these would push through."

To this point it is France's turn to stand up in protest.

"You asked me to be a father to him. And as the father I am entitled to some benefits. If not us then some other nation would come up and declare war just to have him. He would be even more exploited!"

England snarled angrily. "We all know that if you don't harvest those assets your country would go down. With that logic you planned to suck another country dry just to save yours! Kiwi is under my jurisdiction even if you are his father. And if you are so worried about a nation proclaiming war then it would be I to do so if you pull another stunt like this!" he spat.

France eyed him dangerously. "You are letting your judgement be affected by that boy, Arthur. You just happened to pick him up off somewhere like a stray cat and you act like you own him. Just like that other one you picked up."

He stared back at him hard. He would not let this man talk badly of Hong nor Kiwi. France is a treacherous man when provoked. Starting a war would mean he has to split his forces in two to help himself and keep Kiwi from harm's way. But falling into his trap right now would mean placing the child on a platter and serving him to a hungry wolf. His mind games are tricky, and those blue eyes bore holes into his own.

"What would it take to keep you off of him France.." He asked; a necessary procedure.

He chuckled in ridicule. "Anything you offer the boy's resources would outlast tenfold. That's not going to work Arthur. Are you getting old? because your proposals are getting a tad overused."

"Get out. NOW!"He ordered.

France smiled at him before packing his things and leaving the room. He knew he had won that battle. With all the security around, Arthur has been letting his guard down quite low. He would just have to find the best moment to strike when he is wide open.

England slumped down on his chair, frustrated. He would have to keep an eye on France while this clears out. A faint creak of the door made him look up.

[..Bullocks..] He cursed.

He plastered a gentle smile on his face and chose his words carefully. "Kiwi, I know you have been listening. Would you come here for mummy please?" he said.

A little boy with yellow-brown hair and green eyes walked in. He was holding a small lamb in his arms; thankfully stayed quiet or else France would have another ace to use against him. He had his eyes, and those trademark eyebrows, yet he was also quiet when he knows that now is not the right time to play. His older brother, Australia, was more active and talkative than he. He found the both of them while he "toured" Asia and his ship wandered off until it reached them. It was there that he was able to forge a bond and persuade him to come under his rule.

He picked the child up gently and placed him on his lap. The lamb got off and was now sitting below his chair, bleating.

"Did you hear all that?" he asked, stroking his hair.

Kiwi stayed quiet but nodded slowly. England also knew that he disliked it when they quarrel. It wakes him up during his naps and he tends to eavesdrop even if he doesn't understand what they were saying.

"Mummy apologizes for that, alright?" He said, hugging the boy to him gently.

Kiwi looked up at him sadly, frowning. "Is daddy going away again?.." he asked.

France may be the father but truth be told he hardly acts like one. Rarely he stays to greet Kiwi, namely on his birthday and other major occasions, to drop a gift before leaving again. It was only he who really took care of him, yet Kiwi did love him all the same. He always tried to make sure Kiwi does not feel unloved by his so-called daddy and at times he threatens France to sleep over to play with him and Aussie.

"Daddy is just going for a meeting again. But he will be back." He lied with a smile.

Kiwi looked down sadly. He can tell he misses him, much to his displeasure. His gaze roamed the room until he stopped to stare at some chrysanthemums outside of the window. England smiled as he suddenly thought of an idea and turned Kiwi to face him.

"Kiwi, how would you like to meet an old friend of mine? And a new playmate?" he asked.

The boy's eyes sparkled and he smiled, nodding eagerly. Another trip with mummy somewhere to keep him from thinking about his bloody git of a dad. Idiotic frog.

[..It's time to pay you a visit my friend..] he thought to himself, chuckling.

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WHOO a longer chapter 8D Set sail to chapter 3 now aru! ( *w*)/


	3. Chapter 3: What Happened then

Hello everyone :D well i have to admit it took me quite some time to think about chapter 3 xD

but here you are :D do enjoy and again, reviews are welcome ^_^

PS: once again, i do not own hetalia :D

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**Chapter 3: What happened then**

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Shutting the doors tightly, the armoured car pulls away from the drive way and made its way through the streets. France took a sip of his wine as he watched the giant manor disappear from his line of sight. He made quite a scene in there, shunting his guards aside as he went back to his vehicle; breaking one of the vases and even drew a rose on one of the paintings. He dared to defy him. He clearly threw away a grand opportunity to make his—err..their..nation rich beyond their wildest dreams! Everyone thinks he is such a gentleman yet he shooed away a guest without letting him explain his intentions.

[..I have wasted enough time being patient. That pommie bastard doesn't know what he is in for..] He thought.

He opened his suitcase and brought out his files, flipping through them. Indeed he has fathered the child, but he was just a commodity for him; something that can be used to his advantage; an item that can be easily disposed off after it has been used. He got his red pen and began to encircle the areas he would be renovating. A new spa here; Another mall over there. A new winery!

He chuckled with glee and envisioned his new empire on that tiny nation. Teaching them his native language would do them good other than just speaking in plain English. Even a new clothing line would teach them a new sense of fashion!

His eyes sparkled as he imagined it all coming true; like a smaller version of France down in Oceania! He'd have to get rid of those British flags scattered everywhere as well as the possibility of having a new ally siding with him instead of that bastard. Yet the most important thing would be gaining enough profits to get his nation back on its feet. Surely it would take a great toll on New Zealand, but like the Americans say: "No pain, No gain." He wrote several words on the side of a page and thought carefully.

[..Kiwi likes sheep, candy, cookies, stuff toys..] He thought, writing everything down.

It would be difficult to get the child to go with him if their bond was already severed. Rebuilding his trust with him would make it easier for his plan to unfold, and if Kiwi agrees then Arthur would have nothing to say against it.

Passing through a village, he noticed one particular house surrounded by large pandas. He stopped the car and peered through his window, observing the man who was busily tending his garden.

[..and of course, he would be another problem..] He scowled.

France knew in more ways than one the secrets England tried to hide from him. It wasn't that hard to pry it out of him with just a few bottles of rum. He'd be spewing them out without him realizing that he was. France also noticed the little boy playing next to him. He took some notes before telling the chauffer to continue driving back to his home.

Yao would not listen to him either if he knew what was going on. It is best to leave the pawns for now while he improves his selection of moves before making any. The little boy who was with him can also prove useful. Arthur mentioned to him once that he used to have a lad with someone else, and those rather thick eyebrows on him gave him away.

France sighed to himself. How difficult it was to conduct such a massive plan. Clearly if everything runs smoothly Arthur would have his head on the bow of his ship.

[..If only he did not betray me with that loathsome Asian..] He thought, clutching his wine glass.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~( Flashback )~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

According to their agreements, France will not follow Arthur to the lands he would visit in the Far East IF he was given permission to keep track of his route going to and from his destination. One of his satellites would be trained towards him alone in case his whereabouts suddenly disappear from the face of the planet.

He watched intently at the screen, the red pulsing dot symbolizes the British vessels on the way to Asia. It was rather a large distance from Europe, and so additional ships were made. Arthur went to India, then Singapore and traced a line going north. It was there that the red dot completely vanished.

France stood up in alarm and ordered all connections to reboot and find that British fleet. This is not happening.

"Sacre bleu! Find it at once! Someone would be at the edge of this building if you all fail to get that signal working!" He shrieked (in a manly way)

His workers set of immediately, checking the network and contacting every technician available to see where the problem may be lurking in the system. None of them wish to lose neither their jobs nor their lives just for some computer bug. Be it a virus or a loose wire, the signal was never found until the vessels themselves returned to European waters.

While France was busy panicking, Arthur was already getting acquainted with China. Forgetting about making trade relations, he stayed for awhile to learn the traditions and customs they had there. Both liked each others' company, and not one of them mentioned anything about conquering whoever. A quiet time they shared as well as a joyous occasion as they stumbled upon little Hong Kong while having a stroll through the mainland. They were quite a happy family in a way.

After that the opium dispute happened, and Arthur returned to his nation along with little Hong Kong, leaving China to wallow in his sadness.

France was already on the shores of Britain when the vessels have appeared on the horizon. By then Arthur has already been missing for a total of six months. He paid a large amount of Euros for search parties yet those blasted ships were nowhere to be found. Sighing in relief to see the convey had no sign of damage; for once he was happy enough to welcome him home. That is, until he saw the boy in his arms and the grave look on his face while making his way down to the beach.

He smiled and spread his arms wide, and he just passed him like he wasn't even there. He stood there, unbelieving, and turned around, locking his gaze at the little boy's golden eyes. Those eyes, the hair, the thick eyebrows; he looked like something that would come out of his nightmares as some kind of crack pairing of a sort. He does not have to think twice that Arthur probably eloped with someone, and he still remembered that the last trace of fleet was heading towards China. And pray-tell that boy resembles them both, much to his dismay. It pains him to know that his dear Arthur had someone him in the dark with this other nation when he was with him.

France eventually found out about the opium incident and the rift between Britain and China. Normally he wouldn't mind but Arthur's temper has begun to annoy him. No later than a few days did China came to Europe and demanded Hong Kong back. At first he demanded, then after failing quite a lot of times he resorted to begging. China gave up many things just to get Arthur to reconsider. One instance did he grew angry, seeing Arthur's sympathy for the Asian nation.

His anger grew ever more frequent when Arthur started to return to Asia. Be it for visits or business meetings, France had kept that satellite out of orbit to spy on him; true enough to see the British fleet stopping by China for who knows what reasons. He also noticed that there are times when he did not have Hong Kong with him on his return to Britain. A joint ownership of a nation never pulls through, and sooner or later Yao would want the boy only for his own. Arthur had always been stubborn, and a world war is what they need to ruin everyone.

In the end, France decided to help the two nations in an agreement. Arthur obtains the things he wants, and then China had Hong Kong back. But the Brit had accepted against his liking, and swore to stay away from them. Until now he has yet to break that promise. Though the fact still remains: pirates do not keep their promises for too long.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~(End of Flashback)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Arthur. That man would come back to Asia any day now; with Kiwi no less. Perhaps if he did act more of a father figure to his little bundle of nuisance then they'd both agree on terms faster. On the other hand, he also had his own reasons why he would rather ignore the brat anyway.

The doors open and he stepped out into his estate. The French flag was waving slowly from the top of the roof. The garden was neatly pruned and the flowers were growing beautifully. The small angel statues of himself always made him smile along with the lovely ladies outside the gates. Here in his own home did he felt the safest. Not even England would force himself in here. That would be rude, even for him.

He made his way to his private bathroom, winking at the maids charmingly before closing the double doors behind him and taking off his clothes. He missed streaking around in his house. That sense of freedom of just running around or skipping/frolicking through the halls and no one can tell him not to. He stopped doing so when he had unexpected company and they saw his blooming rose. They even had the nerve to stare. Thankfully not a word was ever spoken concerning his floral display.

Cold water gushed out of the shower head and onto his hair. It has been quite hot lately, and he had to admit that encounter with Arthur was rather..hot. He chuckled to himself with the idea and soaped himself. No matter what he thinks, that Brit has him ensnared, be it with magic or not. Now, if he can only get him to be in the same shower...

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And done~ OwO i should make these longer =3= onwards chapter 4! ( *w*)/


	4. Chapter 4: A world through a Brit's eyes

Ello~ OwO chapter 4 now matey! Now I have given China, Iggy and France a chapter for them

to star in. So why not give the little one a shot? :3 I hope you guys enjoy and again reviews are appreciated 3

P.S = again, i do not own hetalia :P

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**Chapter 4: A world through a brit's eyes**

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-Kiwi's POV-

"I remember well when onii-san Aussie and I were alone in our islands. He always comes to help me feed my sheep and we'd play rugby in the park even if I was a bit too young and slow to catch up with him. He would let me hop into one of his kangaroo's pouches and we'd race to see who can get to the river first. We would cook lamb together then eat in the yard with a bonfire, looking up at the stars above. "

"We were quite fine by ourselves. Aussie would give me lessons so that I can deal with my nation's struggles on my own. I had to admit it was difficult, and brother always had to use the simplest words for me to understand. Sometimes I feel bad for him and his great efforts into making sure I don't do anything that would make my economy fail."

"Aussie and I rarely have relations with other countries. But whenever someone offers, Aussie would do it for me since I barely understand the gibberish they speak of. Most countries ask us for our high quality lamb and beef along with our dairy products that are being mass produced due to demands. They send ambassadors or high ranking officials to conduct trade; offering necessities like rice, silk or thread for clothes and such. I tried to trade on my own when Aussie was away. I accidentally traded five hundred sheep for one cacao tree" *hides and looks around* "..I hope Aussie wouldn't hear that.."

"There was a time when these large ships docked on my shores. A blonde man with hairy insects on his face stepped down and got attacked by one of my sheep. He was funny flailing around the sand while my sheep took his pirate hat away; though it wasn't that fun when he drew a gun out and tried to shoot my sheep. By then Aussie, who came over that day, was ordering him to leave. I was able to catch my sheep and gave the man his hat back. His face was distressed, like he had a fight with someone, and he looked really tired. He apologized right away and began to give gifts, asking us politely if we would give time to hear his story. Aussie reluctantly agreed and we settled down in my house."

"His name was Arthur Kirkland from Britain. He was so tall and he had pretty green eyes. Those insects looked terrible on his face and once did I try to poke them off with a stick. Those were his eyebrows he claimed. I stared; then laughed; Aussie laughed; Arthur twitched. He didn't seem to mind that much as he began to talk about trade relations. He gave many interesting offers, especially the ones that give aid when we are in need. Aussie usually wants that one first and foremost because our forces are little compared to the larger nations like Russia. In the end Aussie allowed me to have trade relations with Britain and Arthur appeared to be happier than him waving a gun around."

"Arthur visits more frequently after that day, wearing suits now instead of his cool pirate outfit. It was his turn to teach me how to handle my economy and Aussie was quite delighted that I am improving as well. He rarely asks about resources and instead he gave me pointers on how to utilize them fully. I was also happy because Arthur was very nice, and I always wanted to have some sort of daddy that's around and not only me and Aussie."

"About a month has come and gone, and we were doing so well with things. Arthur stopped coming since last week, but he called often and said he was caught up with something else. Two weeks later he came and offered a new home for Aussie and me to go to in Britain. We can watch over our nations from there and for some peculiar reason he also stated that it is not safe in Oceania right now. Arthur shipped about a million sheep to keep me company and some of Aussie's assorted wildlife for him as well. He had to stop over to this nation first, and there I saw him...or her? Up to now I cannot really remember how he or she looked like. I vaguely saw a brief smile, gold eyes, and a ponytail. Arthur seemed to be in a fight with that person because I heard shouting. Aussie made me stay in his room when I began hearing curse words."

"I think I fell asleep because I woke up on this fluffy white bed. Or was that my sheep. Anyway, the room was so big and littered with sheep. We must have been in the manor already. Lots and lots and lots of British flags were embossed on the walls. I saw my flag there as well though. It must mean that this is my room. Walking outside, the hallway had about five other doors. The door next to me had Aussie's flag on it but he wasn't inside. I wandered around; it took me ten minutes to find the bathroom and another fifteen minutes to get to the dining hall I think. Arthur was there talking to this other blonde man. He had mischievous blue eyes and a bit of hair on his chin. He sounds drunk and he kept holding a red flower. He laughs funny too. It sounded like _hon hon hon hon_. It sounded creepy."

"Arthur caught me peeking through the door and told me to come in. He said the man was Francis Bonnefoy and he would be my daddy from now on. I don't mind having Iggy (my nickname for Arthur other than caterpillar) as my mommy but this man whom I just met kept smiling at me funny. Iggy did not look that much happy about what he said but having a mommy and a daddy would be nice. Though I have yet to forget about that other nation Iggy talked to. I feel like I would like him or her more than Francis."

"My new um..daddy was alright. He gave me gifts during my birthday and Christmas. He brings me to the park sometimes with Aussie and we would try to teach him rugby; he wasn't that good at it though. I spend most of my time with Iggy while daddy was away doing stuff. I like being with mommy Iggy more. That sounded a bit awkward."

"Daddy hardly ever comes over now. Iggy was getting quite annoyed with him and recently even they are fighting over something too. I heard from Aussie that Mommy wouldn't let him come to Oceania. Daddy kept protesting, stating that it's a waste and he wanted to talk to me and not Iggy. But mommy just slammed the door at him. Everyone was fighting lately."

"Unlike Aussie, I am not allowed outside the manor that much. Every so often I ask Iggy if I can go to the front yard yet he always declines. Surely mommy has a good reason for it, but I was used to always being outside with my sheep and I missed the outdoors. Being locked inside the manor was no fun even if I did have a lot of sheep to play with. Aussie has been busy with his nation so he couldn't play either. Whenever daddy comes, mommy watches us with a scary look in his eyes, like he was daring France to try anything dangerous."

"There was one thing I found that made Iggy more upset at me than France. While I was roaming aimlessly around, I snuck into mommy's room and rummaged around out of boredom. I pulled back a drawer on his side table and found this small red box with weird writings on it. Inside was an awesome gold ring! It looked so pretty and shiny! I ran to find Iggy and asked what it was for or why he even had it, but when I did he just stood there, staring at me with a horrified expression; like he had seen a ghost. Then he turned as pale as a ghost. He snatched the box from me and told me to never try to find it ever again. He even grounded me for looking into his things, even if I didn't mean to." *sniffs*

"Things change quickly in the manor, and I really miss my nation now."

-End of kiwi's POV-

* * *

-Arthur's POV-

"The last thing I wanted Kiwi to find and be curious of in this house would be that blasted ring. I always thought of locking it up somewhere, but things have been a bit of a handful for me lately. With France being up to no good and making sure Kiwi stays in the house and not trying to get out. If he finds out then everything would be ruined and I would have a mental relapse. I made sure to clear out anything that might impose an idea in that boy's head of what is out there for him and I made a slip up of not keeping that ring safely secured somewhere else." *sighs in frustration*

"Well, so long as he does not have a clue about the ring then I can assure myself that it won't be a problem. I have my reasons keeping Kiwi inside. There is too much going on around here that he would not understand and making sure that France won't spill anything doubles my work at maintaining the peace between all nations...or rather, some nations. Nevertheless it was my fault for going to Asia. I suspected that Kiwi eavesdropped while I was having a conversation with him that might as well end up in a bloody swordfight with all those sharp cusses foaming out of his mouth!"

*paces around* "Now that I am bringing Kiwi to Asia, I cannot take away the feeling of dread that is churning up inside me. So many factors beyond my control are at work here, and I sense something appalling would occur. France has made it clear that he wants to have everything his way, yet I do not wish this argument result into a war that would bring about other nations claiming allies and sparking up world war III."

"..It is only a matter of time before they find out about everything. And whether Kiwi would accept it or not, I am merely more interested in discovering if France would stupidly fight over the rights to the oceanic nation. I find it inappropriate but the pervert has a liking for children and sadly I can think up of ways on how he would force Kiwi to allow him to pursue his ideals. One Christmas day he gave kiwi handcuffs." *twitches in disgust* "Winking at him knowingly while the child stared at it dumbfounded."

"I have found rope, _toys_, stage crop and chains under his bed when he asked to stay for the night...I also caught him inviting the bad touch duo into the mess hall when I came home early a few weeks back. I threatened them with scones just to get them out of the yard."

"All I wanted is for Kiwi to be happy; like how he was when Aussie was teaching me how to play rugby. It was a fun sport may I add. Cheerful and carefree that boy was." *smiles at the thought* "I believe that, things would stay shrouded in the dark if I keep him forever sheltered in my home. And it has been years since I've seen that Asian...man. I wonder how his face would look when we arrive. Hopefully he would not hit me with his wok until I am unconscious and tie me up like a hostage." *chuckles*

"Making a wild guess, he might ask me why I have yet to shave my eyebrows off." *winks*

* * *

And done OwO was this long enough? o: /slapped I hope you guys liked it though :3

I was thinking of Kiwi narrating how things went and so tah-dah~ chapter 4 it is OwO thank you for reading

and continuous support everyone 3

and now...onward to chapter 5 ( *w*)/


	5. Chapter 5: Midnight Crisis

YUSH! Im happy I can still continue this fanfic until now whoooo~ school is looming /sulks

I hope I keep you guys interested though o: trying my bestyup ( *w*)/ enjoy everyone~

and once again reviews are greatly appreciated ^^ so that i can improve on what you guys think i should improve in :D

P.S= again i do not own hetalia :P

* * *

**Chapter 5: midnight crisis**

* * *

Arthur ducked and managed to avoid the ladle that went flying to his direction. He did expect the outcome to be more civilized; though the composure of the Asian man was nowhere in sight. Breaking the news to him felt like stabbing his own self through the heart, and it pains him to see that the latter would not be agreeing anytime soon.

"I am not letting you take Hong away from me!" He screamed, swinging his wok like a wild panda. His face was contorted in anger, yet his cheeks were flushed from the recent intake of opium.

"I fully commend your determination but let us not approach this negatively and discuss this more thoroughly together hm?" He smiled nervously.

The Asian man gritted his teeth and threw one of his plates at him. Arthur jumped to the side and watched as the plate collided with the wall, breaking into tiny pieces and littering the floor with shards.

"Honestly, if you keep this up then we would both get injured by just stepping on the floor.." He sighed

Yao pointed his wok at him. "If you discontinue this insane thought then maybe I would stop throwing items at you, opium bastard."

Hong peered from behind the doorway and watched as the two nations quarrel. A baby panda quietly sat next to him and they both stood there as Yao threw another plate at the British man. Once Arthur has realized that the opium was now being used as illegal drugs in so-called opium dens in China, he has offered, rather demanded, to take the little boy with him back to Britain as a precaution than leaving him with a drug infused mother living under the same roof.

"The opium has shrouded your mind Yao. Think about how this would affect Hong..." reasoned Arthur.

"THE OPIUM WAS YOUR FAULT FOR BRINGING IT HERE!" he yelled, grabbing three more plates and aimed all of them at his face.

Hong hugged his panda and sat behind the doorway, unnoticed by the pair. He recounted how many Chinaware was broken and tried to push the debris that scattered on the floor nearest to him into a small pile with his slippers. He was used to having the floor clean and tidy. The baby panda whined as the sound of another plate crashed into something.

"I humbly agree that it may have been a mistake but I had my reasons. I came to merely conduct trade and you shut me off of your ports due to the fact that I had no knowledge that I needed to bow in front of your emperor!" He countered, grabbing a steel platter and swatting away a teacup.

"That is for being ignorant about my customs and being overly excited to get tea leaves! You care of no one else but yourself!" he spat.

"If I did not care about anyone else but my own then that clearly negates my incentive of taking Hong with me. Why don't you put down those things and think clearly for once!" Says Arthur.

"Like you stated my mind is shrouded with opium and so I have no time to reflect upon your selfish offer. How am I certain that you aren't just going to use Hong instead?" He opposed.

Arthur sighed. It was heartbreaking to see the once gentle man foaming in the mouth at him. But if Hong stays here, he might stumble upon the packs of opium still hidden somewhere in the house.

"Yao listen to me. No matter how much you deny it, it was still your choice for using the opium illegally. You could've just burned them after realizing what it really was but instead I caught you using it! Smoking it and slowly getting addicted yourself!" he countered, slamming his hands onto the table.

"Do not use that against me! You don't know what it's like being me. So what if I smoked it a few times? I can still be a better parent that you would ever be! I won't let Hong end up being like Alfred who has no manners and Matthew being too shy to do anything that he might excel at."

Yao glared at him hatefully, making sure that he stays at his side of the room and keeping him away from Hong. He isn't getting through without facing him. He may have said a few things that aren't appropriate but this infuriating person in front of him is not having the last laugh.

Arthur sighed, looking at him sadly. "Then I shall do whatever it takes to get Hong safe and sound."

He walked outside and brought out a red flag, waving it around. Yao stared at him curiously. Now what is he doing?

A large cannonball crashes through the living room, hitting the couch and making a large gaping hole into the wall. Another follows in its wake, mercifully crashing through the house and ruining the furniture. Yao dropped low as another cannonball whisked through above him. The dust impaired his vision, yet he scrambled to find the little boy.

The British vessel aimed its cannons as his crew loaded them with cannonballs weighing up to a few tons each. As barbaric as it seems, desperate times calls for desperate measures. The waving of the red flag was the signal that negotiations did not end well. It was a huge gamble, the risk of hitting the child and Yao were high. Arthur would have kill a lot of his men if that were to happen.

Yao called out frantically as the house continued to get attacked. His thought no longer stayed with the British man as he ran to the kitchen and searched around. The ceiling of the dining room cracked; the structure groaning at the pressure. The walls swayed dangerously, and some appliances deemed a hazard. Avoiding the falling wreckage, he dropped low as smoke rose high. He looked out from the hole that took the place of his oven and stared, horrified. Arthur stood there, Hong in his arms. The child's face showed no emotion, but he moved around as if he wanted to get away.

The assault ceased, and the house lay crumbling. Their home now spewed smoke and wires sparked dangerously. Yao stumbled outside and knelt, eyes watering.

"Please. Please don't take Hong." He pleaded; his hair no longer tied and was messed up against his frame. He had several cuts from the splinters, looking like a helpless man. His eyes were red and brimming with tears, yet he tried to let none fall.

Arthur looked at him. Was it right of him to forcibly take the boy away? The drugs were taken and sent back to Britain or was burned by the government; though he was already exposed to it. It would take long time to rid himself of the addiction, and by then Hong might have already found some. Some day he swore to give him back. But for now, he must accept it.

"I'm deeply sorry, Yao." He said, staring at the floor. He turned without looking back, biting his tongue. Normally he would have enjoyed stealing treasure from other people. That was the thrill in the life of a pirate. But now it felt so wrong that he should be dropped in hell for it.

Yao watched as the two headed towards the large ships docked at the bay. He did not care about the house or of the damages to his yard. Letting them just simply leave without him interfering is unthinkable. And so, standing up clumsily, he drew a gun and aimed at his heart from behind, pulling the trigger firmly.

"Hong is staying here with me..."

***BANG!***

* * *

Arthur sat up from his seat; eyes widen and covered in cold sweat. He gingerly padded himself around to see if there was blood anywhere on his clothes. Looking around his surroundings, his mind finally settled and absorbed the information: It was all a dream. A nightmare if you please. And they were currently on his private plane on the way to China. Based on his watch, about three hours has passed. Breakfast would be served in about an hour and he most definitely did not get shot anywhere.

[..bloody nightmare that was..] He thought, drinking from the cup of water the stewardess gave him. He stretched and opened the plane window, gazing over the sun that has only begun to rise over the clouds. Kiwi was still in deep sleep, turning to his side and hogging his blanket like no tomorrow. His little lamb was curled up next to him, snoozing in dreamland as well.

Despite the nightmare, the events that occurred had happened, except for his almost gruesome death. The reasons why it decided to lurk in his mind eludes him, and so he asked for a batch of scones as he stares off into the blank telly distantly.

[..Would he accept Kiwi?..] He thought, biting onto a hot scone. He may still be harbouring a grudge at him for all he has done and he might take it out on the poor boy. Though he did know Yao well, and his motherly instincts never fail to amuse him. Perhaps he did need a few pointers on caring for his nations.

As a child, Alfred was a handful. He did grow into an independent nation, regardless of his large ego and pride; claiming himself as "the hero of everyone" and the leader of the G8. Matthew was a shy sort when he found him and up to now he still is. He should teach him to speak up more and stop appearing as this silhouette in group meetings. France...he wouldn't even bother that git. Won't even listen to what he says and so what more if he tried to educate him.

He brought out his bag and rummaged inside, pulling out the small red box. Giving it back might be a waste of time, but trying wouldn't hurt. The last time he gave it to him it ended up being thrown back at him and attained a bull's eye on his cheek. Thankfully it stayed in one piece. It needed to be buffered here and there; making it shine. He still had the counterpart of the ring, sometimes wearing it in his formal meetings and enjoyed the times when France terrorized him with questions asking all about it.

The stewardess served a plate Yorkshire pudding for each of them and a crown roast lamb to share. Kiwi, who had already woken up from his sleep, happily waited as his share was sliced to his plate while his lamb stared in horror and hid under his blanket. Arthur ordered a hot cup of tea and Kiwi asked for a cup of orange juice, both drinking at the same time with one pinkie up. Watching BBC live, the pair ate quietly as the queen waved to her subjects and the people rejoiced, waving the British flag and gazed upon the magnificent floats made for her diamond jubilee.

No matter what the future holds, Arthur decided that he would step up and be a better parent to his nations. The things he failed to accomplish back then and the regret he felt would never waver, however he still has enough time to do better things to augment his past.

* * *

Francis headed off to his room and shut the door, locking it securely. He brought out his computer and accessed his military's database, filling out the needed forms and entering the numerous passwords that kept the system away from hackers. He selected a map and watched at the red dot moving across to the east. No doubt that the infernal Brit has chosen to seek aid from his old comrade and brought the naive boy with him.

[..Now that won't do...] He thought. Opening a new tab, he went through his files and gazed over the information noted on a certain Yao Wang. Arthur had no business in Asia at present and his sudden trip was easily read like an open book. The profile contained meagre history of the background between its relationship with Britain, yet his relationship with Arthur as a person sent warning bells to his ears.

The house he asked to be built had finished its construction a week ago and its location has not been publicly announced; the perfect place to store treasures and "fragile" items.

He smiled to himself; pleased with how things are going just the way he wanted it to be.

* * *

I made France sound like a stalker :(( /brick'd

I am getting paranoid that my chapters are getting short D8 even if I am hitting my 2,000 words mark. less than that makes me feel like

the chapter is waaaaay to short e w e

Onward to chapter 6 lassie! ( * O*)/


	6. Chapter 6: China Revisited

Allo! (/ *w*)/ sorry for the delay everyone. School is just...murder _

but yay le update for chapter 6 8D hope chu guys will enjoy it ^^ and reviews are loved 3

P.S = once again i do not own hetalia xD

* * *

**Chapter 6 : China Revisited**

* * *

The plane descended slowly on the runway at 2:30 pm local time. Kiwi grabbed his lamb and walked down the stairs after Arthur. The two are rather jet-lagged but excited all the same as they finally landed in China. The air was chilly as they came around spring time. Arthur made sure Kiwi was wearing a warm coat to keep him from freezing over, the small lamb perching itself on the boy's head, content of the warmth its fluffy wool gives. A private car was waiting for them and brought the pair to the arrival area of the Beijing Capital International airport. After going through immigration and sorting out their baggage, another private car has arrived earlier to pick them up; much to Kiwi's dismay as he was eager to go see the duty free shops the airport has to offer.

Arthur brought out his laptop and opened one of his documents, checking the address again to avoid getting lost; in case he might have moved somewhere else the past few years. Yet he couldn't ignore the scenery that passes through his window, glimpsing the outside from the corner of his eye and smiling.

[...You haven't changed a bit, Yao...] He thought to himself.

The village where they were headed to was packed with antique shops and stores that sell religious items. Food carts roam around servicing the people who needed to go to work early and needed a snack on the way. Very few industrial buildings were located within the vicinity; therefore the air was less tainted with pollutants and the biodiversity was in full bloom. Several temples dotted the landscape; most were emitting fumes from the incense sticks the people use for their prayers. Red lanterns decorated the entrances of residences, some even with small golden dragon statues. Giant pandas lazily ate away the bamboo stalks that were planted by the villagers, while a few red pandas scuttle off grabbing the bamboo stalks the pandas broke off for their meal and ran back to the bushes.

Kiwi, on the other hand, opened the window and stuck his head out like any other curiosity-filled child would whenever they are in a place they have never been to. The lamb desperately pulled on his coat in fear of him falling outside. The car slowed down at a stop light and a nearby vendor gave him a free sample of the dumplings he was selling to him, amused of how foreigners are these days. He started pointing at the shops, the food carts, the children playing cat and mouse, a group of adults playing _mah-jong_, a small parade with a dancing red dragon and many more.

Many have already begun to notice the car that entered the village and began to talk amongst each other. Usually cars like those would arrive for one home and one home only. The newcomer also looked foreign. Their hair color was different, and so did their style of clothing. Some decided to follow where it was heading off to and pushed their carts to the side as it passed by. Arthur noticed the attention they were getting and pulled Kiwi back inside, rolling up the window. Thank goodness they were tinted.

Hong was outside with the pandas again when he saw the car pull up near the driveway. Immediately he set off and looked for Yao who was inside washing dishes. Meanwhile, Yao has just finished wiping the plates clean and prepared himself a pot of oolong tea. Even though it aggravates his feelings about it, tea time is his relaxation time. He was about to pour himself a cup of it until the doorbell rang.

"Now who could that be..?" he signed as he placed the teapot down. He made his way towards the door and wore his best smile when he opened it, only to come face to face with those hideous bushy eyebrows of the center of his greatest annoyance, Arthur.

"Why good day to you, Yao!" he said cheerfully.

Yao's eye twitched before slamming the door shut, hearing a pained grunt and heavy stomping outside.

"You bloody git that was my nose!" he yelled, clutching it carefully and tearing up like a little kid. Kiwi giggled but remained (inside a bush really) far from view as his father threw curses at the door. "Good aru, that's what I was hoping for aru." said Yao, smiling to himself for the success of his first revenge of the day. Arthur gritted his teeth, calming himself down before knocking on the door once again. Truth be told, it was clearly not his fault for having his outburst, yet it was his mistake for acting that way when it happened. Starting on the wrong foot: check.

"Yao, p-please may I talk to you?" he pleaded, hoping that the other would understand. A nerve wrecking silence grew in between them. Yao looked away and spotted Hong looking right at him with a blank expression. "I don't want to talk to him" he mouthed, glancing at the door behind him. He spun around to face the door several times before turning his back on it, anxiety crawling all over him. Hong silently went towards the door and opened it; staring up at the Brit. Arthur sweat dropped and crouched down to his level, smiling kindly. "Could you get your mummy for me please?" he said. The boy sighed and dragged the other to the front and slammed the door shut at them both.

Yao crossed his arms defiantly and avoided his gaze, having a newfound interest on his plants. "What do you want, aru?"

Arthur fixed his collar and took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, first things first, I know full well that you still have anger as powerful as the sun towards me that not even my words can sooth it. Nevertheless, hear me out. I have come with the deepest regrets of what I have done and would love to do something to make it up to you." He explained, looking at the ground.

"And what if I don't believe any of the things you just said aru?" he said, continuing to avoid having eye contact.

"Then I shall not be discouraged and would carry on with having small talk with you over tea if you would welcome me into your home.." he replied.

Yao observed him carefully. This man has brought him pain and misery for years, took Hong from him, destroyed his home and disrespected him as a nation and a leader. The same *bleep* who raided his lands for resources and polluted the waters with his tainted egotistical-filled vessels. The Brit who had the nerve to claim that the tea he makes is the best in the world, even if it tasted like total garbage and had an aftertaste of dirt. Yet the most annoying thing is that he looked so sincere right now. Those eyes are pleading like no tomorrow. Those gentle green eyes...

Arthur blinked as the other stared at him distantly. [...Is he trying to intimidate me or is he really just staring...] he thought. The two made eye contact for around a minute or two in awkward silence before Arthur decided to poke his forehead.

Yao blinked a few times and sweat dropped. D-did he just...stared?! At him?! For a long time?! (Chibi Yao flailing its arms in the background)

"Are you alright?" asked Arthur, looking at him sceptically.

"O-of course I am aru!" he replied defiantly, turning away as his face flushed. [..must be more carefully aru...] he thought.

Hong sat next to his feet, hugging his baby panda while the adults continued to bicker. Arthur's mouth curved up in a gleeful smile as he saw him there. "My my, now that I took a good look at you, you have grown alot since then haven't you ya little tyke.." he chuckled, reaching towards him for a hug. At that moment, Yao grabbed Hong and wrapped a protective arm around him while drawing this wok and smacked him on the head hard, forcing his face onto the tiled floor. A disgusting cracking sound echoed in the room upon impact. Arthur's body twitched a bit, a few groans sent out before ceasing any kind of movement. Yao drew deep breaths as he watched him closely, his hold on Hong tightening. [..H-he was going to get Hong...] he thought, his mind racing. [..H-he might take Hong again...]

China – 1; UK – 0

"..Owwie..." mumbled Hong, his breathing getting constricted by his bear hug. He tried to wiggle free from his grasp, his little panda pulling him by his feet. Instead, Yao pulled him even closer as he dragged a chair and sat down, panicking. [..Please don't tell me I killed him, aru. That crack sounded worse than Hong falling off a panda, aru!..] He got a nearly bamboo stick and began to poke his head gingerly. [..Wake up aru.. T_T..]

No response. Initiate harder prodding to his cranium. A loud groan came from the floor as Arthur weakly sat up. His face was red and what looks like a lump was forming under his hair. Arthur touched his forehead and felt something warm and sticky on his fingers.

"Bloody hell..." he muttered as he winced when he touched the wound. Yao's eyes grew full with concern and quickly stood up to fill a small basin with water, his motherly instincts kicking in. He rummaged around a drawer for a small face towel and dipped it into the basin, wringing it a bit before dabbing gently to clean his wound.

"Y-you should be more careful aru..." he said, rinsing the towel every now and then as he worked. Arthur winced when he got in contact with the towel but feels quite smug in the inside. [..Even if it was really his fault..." he thought, trying hard not to smile. [..He can never resist helping...]

Yao got a gauze pad and taped it on his head carefully; the water in the basin was dyed red because of his blood. He couldn't help not blushing slightly as he inspected the alignment of the gauze, tilting his head in several angles. The sun's rays that permeated through the windows highlighted some of his features, making his hair glow slightly and cast shadows on his face. Yao pulled away and went to wash the basin in the kitchen sink, blushing furiously. He cannot possibly...

* * *

Kiwi's POV

Mummy told me to stay hidden in the car before he walked right up to the door. He was shaking and kept fixing his clothes, talking through chattering teeth. I never saw him that nervous about something before, so I guessed that he wasn't quite ready to have a good talk with whoever was in there.

Golden eyes, a caring smile and a dark brown ponytail.

That's practically the only thing I remembered about mummy's "friend". I never recalled any house with large gold snake thingies outside but I do see giant black and white bears in my dreams sometimes. Mummy told me they were polar bears that big brother Canada owns but I knew none of them were black...unless someone tried to scrub paint on them. And if ever that were true, they would never survive in a hot place like this.

I saw the door slam on mummy's face and he went hopping like a kangaroo. It was pretty funny with him jumping up and down, but he didn't sound happy. He tried knocking again though, and this time a little kid opened the door. He looked so cute...like me! I hope he would want to play with me when we meet.

Then I saw her...or him. Was it a he? I can't really tell...but those eyes! And the ponytail! The person was not smiling though, so I'm unsure.

I wanted to go over there for a closer look but the door closed already. I sighed boredly, waiting for mummy to come get me. Then a loud sound that went like CLANG! Came from the house.

"..Mummy...?!" I called out.

I looked around my surroundings for someone I can get to help me. However, seeing no one, I came running and banged my fists on the door as hard as I can.

End of POV

* * *

A loud thumping sound broke their awkward silence; a small muffled voice resonated from the other side. Arthur was leaning his head on the chair stool, his eyes dazed. Yao hesitantly turned off the faucet and wiped his hands dry before heading towards the door. The thumping grew louder and more urgent. He gripped the doorknob tightly and threw open the door, looking around his yard.

No one was outside.

"..Eh? I could have sworn I heard something aru..." he told himself, scratching his hair in confusion. Something began to tug on his hanfu and he looked down, two large green eyes and another pair of them eyebrows staring at him teary eyed.

"Where's my mummy?!" the little boy demanded, sniffling; his lamb bleating angrily.

Yao bent down to his eye level and tilted his head curiously. "..Mummy? I'm sorry but there is no woman here right now aru..." he said. "Are you lost aru?"

The boy pushed away some of his clothing and peered inside, pointing at Arthur. "Liar! My mummy's right there!" he exclaimed, running towards him.

"Hey! Don't go inside other people's houses without their permission aru!" said Yao, closing the door behind him. [..Who is this, aru...]

Arthur blinked a few times, his eyes widening as he saw the boy's face. "K-kiwi! I told you to stay outside until I called you!" He said, wagging his finger at him. Kiwi sniffed and hugged him. "Mummy did not go out anymore and I got scared!" he whimpered. Arthur hugged him back and stroked his hair gently, cradling him. "I'm sorry...but mummy is alright now, see? There's nothing to worry about."

Yao gaped at the two in disbelief. He cannot be serious. Mummy? This boy has clearly stated that he is his mother...Arthur...a man...and who is he anyway?

The two broke their family moment when he cleared his throat loudly. "Can someone please explain everything aru!" he demanded, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently. Arthur carried Kiwi and made him sit at the table before pausing for a moment to think of the right words.

"Well Yao, this lad right here would be Kiwi, or Steven Walters if you prefer his human name; which, if I may say so, won't be of much use since he liked being called like his little puffy flightless bird friends in his country. I decided to bring him along with me because the little tyke was always kept in house arrest back in my nation and some fresh air might do him some good. I hope you won't mind. He easily feels lonely and would sneak into my luggage without my knowledge otherwise." explained Arthur, patting the little boy's head gently. "He's a good boy so long as you don't teach him anything...inappropriate of any sort." He chuckled.

Kiwi giggled and waved at him, smiling. Yao found himself waving back and smiling as well, before putting his hand down awkwardly. "Um...what are your relations, if you do not mind me asking? Because he did call you his mother..." he said.

Kiwi hugged his arm lovingly, rubbing his cheek against it and playing with his coat pockets. What should he say? How much would it affect anything that they might have already built in the past hour? Will it...kill off his chances right then and there?

Arthur looked at his eyes directly, a glint of seriousness in them. His lips quivered slightly, stroking the little boy's hair with his index finger. "He...he's my son. And France is...is his father..."

* * *

Ugh cliff hangers are just... annoying xD but makes everything interesting doesnt it ;D

*LE GASP* Kiwi is... a person who you will learn more about in the upcoming chapters (/ *o*)/

i hope you will tune in for the next chapter of this fic :3 thank you for reading~ and...

onward to chapter 7 aru ( *w*)/


	7. Chapter 7: Home away from Home

Hi guys :D Forgive me if I took a long time to update. School was this close to murdering me but I finally found a free day

to finish this chapter! It's a bit short though but I hope you will still like it ^^ Again, reviews are loved xD Enjoy!

P.S = I do not own Hetalia

Reference: (in case you guys get confused)

Steven = Kiwi (his human name)

* * *

**Chapter 7: Home away from Home**

* * *

"He...he's my son. And France is...is his father..."

Yao stared at him for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter. He can't be serious. First of all, Arthur HATES Francis; no way would he even be in a room alone with him without any security ever since he tried to force him to sign a marriage contract. Second, they were both male. What, one of them got miraculously pregnant? That's impossible ((or is it? *winks*)). It must be an adoption of a sort. Third, he HATES...wait no, LOATHES him. But why would he be with Francis? If everything has a reason, he better give a good one.

"Oh...um..well...h-how did that happen, aru?" he asked, getting slightly curious. Arthur cleared his throat and started to scratch his head in thought. By now Hong has decided to show Kiwi how fun it was to ride on a giant panda in the living room and was trying to get him up on its furry back. The panda grunted impatiently for its passenger and started sniffing on one of Yao's indoor plants. Hong climbed up right after him and the two had hitched a ride on the poor thing and began to throw bamboo pieces on the floor to wherever they wanted it to go.

"You know, it was the same way as we found Hong. Just...lying around?" he said, sighing dejectedly at his story. [..Bugger, I made him sound like some lost item found on a shoreline..]

"I see..." said Yao, unconsciously staring at his eyes. "And what were you doing with Francis when you both found him lying around? I remember you have told me that your feud with him was getting a turn for the worse."

"Erm...that's right! It is but it happened before our little...argument."

Lies. He could see it, hear it even. It was laced around in his poor choice of words that that was not how it was. He can smell trouble, and it was about time that he would get rid them before it clouds his whole house.

Yao forced a smile and began to fix his teacups. "Well, if that is all, then I believe you should get going! You British fellows must have plenty of things to work on whatever that may be and being here would be quite a waste of your time. Thank you for the visit, Kiwi was such a good boy caring for you and oh look he got acquainted with my pandas how cute! Now if you would be so kind as to-"

"Why are you doing that..." interrupted Arthur, his tone grave.

"I-i'm sorry what was that?" he stuttered, surprised that a supposedly gentleman just cut him short.

Arthur stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "You are kicking us out, just when we have just arrived. Where are your manners? Did I do anything that has offended you in anyway, or has Kiwi ruined your day because of his misunderstanding? I have heard of your hospitality Yao and I believe that you are being unreasonable!"

"I'm being unreasonable?! You're the one who kept insisting on intruding my house! To think you were supposed to be a gentleman! And if you must know, I am perfectly fine with Kiwi just playing with Hong while you go hurting yourself all over the place and I have to make an effort in giving you my first aid supplies which were exclusively for our usage!" the other replied.

"Your country is famed for being one of the economic power houses of the century! Yet you ponder around trivial matters such as first aid when in other countries there are people suffering from food shortages! I came here to make amends, not to join another quarrel with you."

"Well, who started this whole thing anyway, aru?! Hong and I were enjoying our quiet life until _you_ had to come over and ruin everything! Just like before! All you every do, is ruin everything for everyone!" he bellowed, breathing heavily with hands curled into fists; knuckles turning white.

A soft sniffle emanated from the opposite room. The two nations looked around to find Kiwi nearly in tears with Hong trying to offer him a soft panda plush. Yao looked down and scratched his head in embarrassment while Arthur went to pick him up and patted his head gently. Kiwi wrapped his arms around him and buried his face onto his shoulder. Yao couldn't look at them directly as he tried to collect his thoughts; trying to find something to say to break the awkward atmosphere.

"We'll...we'll get going then. Good day." The brit finally said as he made his way to the door. The latter lifted his head and reached out in protest, but withdrew just as fast. How can he bounce back after that? It was one thing to annoy the pommy but making a child cry was way out of his norm.

"A-arthur...please wait..." he managed to say.

Arthur stopped as he was about to turn the doorknob. For years, he wanted to hear that Yao wanted him to stay. SCORE! One goal for Britain! He felt his insides churn though; for such a small request can change the tide of their visit. By now, Kiwi has stopped crying, and is now waiting intently what would happen to the two.

"F-forgive me for being cross. It was rude of me. And I didn't mean to raise my voice. But for the sake of the boys, may we take this conversation outside?" he asked.

"If that is what you would like then alright." Replied Arthur, setting Kiwi down and opening the door for him. Yao stepped outside and walked a few meters away from the house with Arthur following behind. Both were quiet until they stopped by a large tree that stood on the backyard. Yao faced Arthur and the latter flinched slightly. They stood in silence, contemplating. Now that they were alone, things would be much more difficult.

"Is there something you need me to do Arthur? other than another world war. We nations hardly visit each other unless one of us needs something. I highly doubt that you came all the way just to apologize. Is it money? Man power? Alliance? If you could just kindly get straight to the point then I would really appreciate it."

Arthur looked at him warily. Well...he did say to get straight to the point...

"I want you to babysit Steven for me for awhile..."

"... EH?!"

* * *

Another plane has landed on the airport by that time. Being in the first class made the trip worth it; except those Baguettes were nothing compared to the authentic ones he made back home. Francis took a quick look at the duty free store before he made his way to the baggage claim area to wait for his bags. His pocket began to vibrate as he reached in to get his phone. The caller ID made the back of his hair stand up.

"B-bonjour, this is Francis Bonnefoy speaking"

"Any word from our target?" the caller asked.

"Um...I have just arrived and will be going to the hotel soon. I will conduct my research there. But don't worry mon cher, I will find him."

"You sound like a stalker. But if it allows you to complete the task then do what any means necessary. Once you attain the package then I will be on the next flight there. Don't screw up or our deal will be void and I will come after you and him."

"..Y-yes, I assure you I won't." He said, ending the conversation. My god he's even a bigger annoyance on the phone than up close. Though, at least he feels safe when he's at least a few countries away from him. The alliance is risky, but he did give some tempting offers for his country if the mission runs smoothly. Picking up his things and loading it on the trolley, he walked to the arrival area where an armoured car was waiting for him. Business as usual.

* * *

"Babysit?! I thought it was some very important request that I surely would have declined unless you gave me a very reasonable explanation why, but then babysitting, aru? I believe it would be easier if you handled that since you actually took care of the capitalist pig before he decided to point a gun at you."

Arthur sighed. "You are right about one thing though, I am doing something very important and perhaps it would be better if Kiwi stayed here with you than bringing him along wherever I have to be. The jetlag would catch him sooner or later and I can't just leave him in the hotel room as I attend to the meetings. His pet lamb won't do any good at keeping an eye on him anyway. Here he can enjoy your company and Hong's while I am away and he will never feel lonely because he has you two and your multitude of pandas. You are the only one I can trust to leave a seven year old with as you have taken care of around four children at one time? And with a bit of respect for Francis, I will only leave Kiwi under his care if I have my men surrounding the house twenty-four seven. If you won't do it for me then perhaps do it for Kiwi? He will be delighted to stay with you, I am sure of it!"

[..Wow. That was a mouthful, aru.] He thought. But then, taking care of another child wouldn't hurt. And Kiwi already likes him in his opinion so being friends won't be a problem. He still couldn't stop feeling suspicious though. To ask someone to babysit, he could have at least called first if it was that simple. Yet he was not one of those nations who always poke their noses into everyone's business.

"Well..if Kiwi is okay with it then I won't mind." He said, smiling.

Arthur began to gape at his acceptance. "R-really? You would?." [..thank gods...someone to keep him safe..] he thought.

"Yes, aru. But ask Kiwi first, aru. I don't want him to start crying once you will leave already." He replied.

Arthur smiled widely and pulled him into a tight hug. The Chinese man paled and began to struggle, flailing his arms. "L-let go aru!" he cried. The Brit just laughed and hugged him tighter. He's safe. His son will be safe. He can finally cease being driven mad from worry; trying to find a haven for the boy. Yao has all the qualities of a good parent. Not like Arthur. He screwed up with Alfred. He won't fail this one.

"You have no idea how grateful I am right now, Yao." he said, still overjoyed.

"You can thank me by letting go aru. You're constricting my breathing!" he yelled, still flailing.

Arthur released him from his death grip and just stares at him, grinning. Yao scratched his head sheepishly. He felt like his ribs might crack from the pressure. Funny, he doesn't look like the muscled type.

"Let's go inside, aru. We have to settle things before you leave. With this request, I take it that you have Kiwi's things with you then?" he asked, already walking back to the house.

"Always good at guessing, aren't you? Yes I do have them. It's in our car. I'll have it brought over." He replied.

The two walked in to find Kiwi and Hong playing with panda cubs that mysteriously got inside the house. The older nations smiled at them as the kids started talking about how their life was with Yao and Arthur. Such Innocence they share. It was almost heartbreaking that they have yet to learn how life really was.

Arthur called Kiwi over and brought him to his lap as he sat down. Yao did the same to Hong. The children looked curiously at their parents. This must be big news.

Arthur cleared his throat and spoke softly. "Steven, mummy has to go somewhere to work. Would it be alright for you to stay with Yao and Hong for a few days? I promise I will return for you. Yao can show you how fun China is and you'll see how yummy their food is. Much better than mine I assure you."

Yao couldn't help but chuckle at the last part. Now it was his turn to speak. "That's right, aru. You and Hong will play while you are here and I will make you my famous dumplings among others! Only if you want to though, we won't make you do it if you don't like it."

Kiwi looked up at Arthur and frowned. "Mummy will pinky swear to come back." He said.

Arthur smiled and raised his pinky, linking it to his. "Pinky swear."

Kiwi smiled and hugged him tightly, burying his face in the crook of his neck. "Okay." He said. "But mummy will also bring home presents for all of us!"

All of them laughed this time. Arthur kissed Kiwi's forehead as Yao took Kiwi from his arms and carried him with Hong holding Kiwi's hand.

"Welcome to the family, aru."

* * *

Sweet! Kiwi can officially make a new chapter of his life outside of England! What wonders, and dangers, are there waiting for him?

Stay tuned for the next chapter and thank you for reading :D

Onward to chapter 8 aru! ( *w*)/


	8. Chapter 8: Fun in the East

Hello everyone! *w* chapter 8 is here whee~~~ Forgive me for my very slow updates due to school and

requirements. Especially the next chapter since it is almost my exams. But don't worry. Summer is almost here and

I am all pumped up! ...right after I die from exams xD I hope you will enjoy this one. This will be my longest chapter

I believe because of the places they went, but there is something special at the end. Don't jump there though! xD Read

the rest first 8D Have fun and again, reviews are loved :3

P.S = i still do NOT own hetalia. and Some things here were referenced by food blogs so thank you to them for helping me out :3

P.S = i do not own disney and anything I just mentioned about it here xD

* * *

**Chapter 8: Fun in the East**

* * *

Earlier that morning, Yao, Hong and Kiwi accompanied Arthur to the airport. The two children were still rather sleepy and were huddled next to each others' respective parent. By the time they arrived at the departure area, Kiwi was up and about. He went over to get a cart while Yao helped Arthur get his belongings out of the trunk. The child's smile began to waver as they walked with him to the departure gates; staying closer to him with each step. When the time came that only Arthur can proceed, Kiwi started to whimper. The brit smiled and crouched down to his level and hugged him.

"Don't you start frowning now. I'll return in a few days time. Go have fun with Yao and Hong alright? And take good care of yourself." He said, ruffling his hair a bit.

Kiwi nodded and hugged him back before Arthur stood and made his way through the baggage inspection area. Yao held the little boy's hand as they waited to lose sight of him before he smiled brightly. "Don't worry aru. I know some places we can go that you'd enjoy. I'll let you pick! But we'll go visit all of them if we have the time. Let's have the first three: The Beijing Olympic stadium, since I heard you liked watching it from the telly and see the bird's nest and the water cube. We can also visit Chengdu, where you can help me get the baby pandas to their mothers and even hold them for awhile. Most of the pandas back home are already fully grown aside from Hong's. And then there's Hong's Disneyland! Hong loves it there. I am not sure if you saw the one in France already but one is never too old for Disneyland."

Kiwi thought for a moment before answering. "May I please see the Olympic stadiums first? Then Hong can pick where to next!" he said.

Hong blinked and smiled a bit. "If that's what you would like, aru." said Yao as the three walks back to the car. "We'll make your stay with us one of them best visits you will ever have!"

Kiwi giggled and tugged at his sleeve, catching his attention. "Can I also try wearing those red outfits that you have Mr. Yao?" he asked.

"Kiwi aru, just call me Yao Okie? And it is called a hanfu. We can get you one on the way." He explained as he allowed the two boys into the car first before following inside after.

The car made its way to the main road and drove for about twenty minutes before stopping by the boutique shop where Yao frequently visits to either purchase or order a customized hanfu. The merchant brought his measuring tape and began to take Kiwi's height, waistline, arm and shoulder length measurements while noting them down in a piece of paper. Kiwi was turned, stretched, twirled, bent and many other things because getting it right was crucial. Hong was picking out the matching footwear as the merchant gave Yao several different kinds of hanfu for Kiwi to try on. The first few were a bit too big. The next batch was too small; with one almost constricted the boy's lungs. The last one was just right; having the almost the same color as both Yao's and Hong's. In fact, after Kiwi wore it, the three looked like siblings out for a morning stroll.

"Wow, these are comfy Yao. Thank you!" says Kiwi, hopping outside of the stall and checking his reflection on the mirror by the sidewalk. Yao came out after paying and smiled. "I'm glad you like it. The fabric is not thick enough to make it hard to wear in a normal day. Besides, you look very cute, aru."

The trio went back to the car after they bought bottled water in the nearby store for the trip and took a long drive to their first itinerary: the Olympic stadiums. The buildings stood towering over the area, and one can see it from a far enough distance on the road. Kiwi stuck his head out of the window to see the bird's nest coming closer as Yao frantically tried to get him back inside before a passing car might smite his head off. It's intricately woven metal beams gleam in the sunlight, adding to its majestic atmosphere. The sound of cheers from the crowds can be heard even after the Beijing Olympics has ended years ago.

Kiwi's eyes sparkled as gazed upon it, momentarily speechless.

"Wow~ it's so big~ I wish mummy can make things like this too!" the boy said as he ran towards it. "I want a picture with it and see what it is like inside and then send the pictures to mummy, perhaps daddy too!"

"Ayiah, please wait for us, Kiwi!" cried Yao, holding Hong's hand and running after him. [..This boy is really hyperactive...Just like Alfred, aru...] He thought.

Kiwi dashed inside the stadium and went through the rows of chairs, disappearing from Yao's sight as he went in. Hong also looked around but there seems to be no sign of life except for the ones outside. They found Kiwi's pet lamb by the corner and picked it up as they searched for him, the area completely devoid of sound other than their footsteps.

"Kiwi, aru where are you?!" he called, also looking under the chairs just in case. The lamb hopped onto one of the stalls and looked behind the counter but found it empty as well.

"Nee! Yao! Hong! Over here~" said Kiwi, who was standing in the middle of the open field. "It's even bigger when you are down here!" he giggled. He plopped himself onto the ground and rolled across.

"That's dirty, aru. How did you even get there in such a short amount of time?!" said Yao, briskly walking down the steps and picking him up. "Please stay close to us; it is easy to get lost in a place that you aren't familiar with, aru."

"...e-eh...I-I'm sorry..." he mumbled, looking down.

"Ah, don't be sad, aru. We still have a long day ahead of us, aru! The water cube is nearby. And it is fun to poke." He said, chuckling. He also picked up Hong and exited the bird's nest with the lamb trailing behind.

The water cube had also the same magnificent aura surrounding it. And because of what Yao said, Kiwi wiggled out of his arms and ran towards one of its aqua blue walls and began to poke it repeatedly. "Nee~ It's so squishy and soft like sheep~"

Yao smiled and watched him amusedly, looking up at the sky for a moment. [..Such a nice day, aru...]

"Um...he disappeared again..." muttered Hong, tugging on Yao's sleeve.

"...EH?!..."

Yao frantically looked around to see an empty space where Kiwi should have been. His little lamb bleated; agitated by how this adult allowed his little master to wander off again. Faint sounds of laughter emanated from the opened doors to their left accompanied by splashes of water.

[...Ayiah...please don't tell me he...]

Kiwi jumped in the giant pool at the center of the water cube but stayed close to the edge, swimming around. Some guards have already been trying to force him to get out yet failed to do so as he always ducks inside the water when they reach in the grab him.

"Damn, this kid won't come out. Should we use the net?" said one of the guards.

"I guess we can try fishing him out. We can even use it to hit him a bit for swimming in a restricted area." Said the other; chuckling.

They got the pool net from the caretaker and tried to get him into the net. Kiwi swam away every time, giggling to himself in his mind. It was easy for him in the water being an island nation but resurfaces later to get air. The net covered his head and was scooped out flailing.

"Yao. Yao!" he cried, tearing up.

"Let him go, aru!" he demanded, running towards them.

"Does he belong to you? We have signs everywhere that the pool area is off limits unless you are an authorized personnel. Unless this child is illiterate then we have no choice but to give you a fine." said the guard indignantly.

"He's the son of a...f-friend of mine. And he is not illiterate, aru! I will pay the amount needed. Just don't take him in. He's already frightened!"

"Come with me to the office then. My colleague will get towels and will take care of the rest while we settle the papers. He will stay in the waiting room with your other kid and...pet sheep." replied the guard, staring curiously at the lamb.

Kiwi was set down and Hong came to his side holding a towel and began to rub his hair dry. Yao was led to the office behind the pool and stayed there for some time. Kiwi watched the office door guiltily and looks down. Hong helped him into his hanfu and the two sat quietly on the chairs near the room.

Yao came out with a big smile on his face around ten minutes later as the guard followed while having a cheery conversation with him. The two boys looked at them curiously, tilting their heads to the side simultaneously.

"If that is how France and England are then who am I to complain about our country?" said the guard, laughing.

The guard patted Yao's shoulder graciously before bidding farewell while he walked to the boys. "Ready to go, aru?" he asked.

"Why was the man laughing Yao?" asked Hong.

"We just had a friendly conversation, aru. I explained everything and he let me out without paying for anything! [..after I told him some facts about Francis and Arthur that made him laugh so hard to completely forgot about it hahaha!...Like when Francis *bleep* and then Arthur *bleep*...]"

Hong merely blinked as trio and lamb left the water cube and waited for their car to pick them up. Kiwi had his eyes glued to the floor and stayed silent. [...mummy won't like what trouble I caused on the first day of my stay...] He thought.

"Ne...Kiwi, are you alright, aru? You're not hurt are you?" asked Yao, frowning.

"... I'm sorry..." he mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve, sniffling. "I-It's been awhile since I went for a swim...and I missed doing so after mummy made me move to his house. I didn't know that were not allowed to use the pool..."

"It's okay, aru. We all make little mistakes sometimes aru. What's good is that you weren't hurt at all aru. We can go to the beach tomorrow or some other day if that's what you like. Don't be sad now, because baby pandas can feel what you feel, and they would be very sad if you are sad too." He said, lifting his chin up and smiling. "Just try not to go anywhere without us. And ask us if you are not sure of something aru. We will help you."

Kiwi rubbed his eyes again and gave a small smile. "O-okay. Kiwi promises to wait for Yao...aru."

* * *

Hong chose to go to Chengdu next; hoping to feed the pandas, hold more baby pandas and spot the rare red panda again. Kiwi thought it was funny that the giant panda would be colored red, but Hong said it looked like a cross between a ferret and a racoon. Simply adorable.

There were more tourists in the Chengdu Giant Panda research base than that of the Olympic stadiums. Families, couples, even senior citizens taking a quiet stroll through the nature preserve. The air was fresh and calming; more so when bird's chirp in chorus and the leaves of the trees and plants rustle in the wind. They made their way to the V.I.P area and were made to wear gloves and blue safety suits.

"This is to make sure that no germs can get to the pandas, especially the younger ones." explained the guide. "And please make sure you don't have any kind of food with you."

While Hong and Kiwi were having their full body inspection, Yao was talking to the head of the facility. They have agreed to allow them to help the caretakers with their usual routine of feeding and setting the baby pandas into their respective mothers' cages, as well as hiding the treats around the pens for the pandas to find. First came the bundles of bamboo stalks for the pandas. Kiwi and Hong took as much as they can carry and crept up to the pandas while their backs were turned. Each of them chose a panda and threw the bundles in front of them. Yao also gave food to the other panda that was sitting a bit further from the others. The pandas soon caught the scent and began to lazily munch on the stalks; much to the delight of the tourists. One panda smelled the scent of other panda on Yao and began to follow him wherever he went.

"Ayiah, I am not a panda aru!" he exclaimed, trying to keep it away from his hanfu.

"Perhaps it thinks that you're a female panda Yao..." says Hong, watching the older man get chased around.

"M-my pandas never behave like this, aru." Grabbing another bundle of bamboo stalks, Yao placed it in front of him and waited for the panda to start munching on it before taking Kiwi and Hong outside of the pen and into the room where they were preparing the assorted fruits that they will be scattering into the pens for the pandas to find.

"It is to stimulate their sense of smell and give them exercise like climbing onto the trees to reach the delicious treat" says one of the caretakers happily. "It is like a preparation stage until it is time for them to be released back into the wild to help the repopulation of the giant pandas, where they will have to find their food on their own."

Kiwi, Yao and Hong were each given a basket containing eight to ten fruits and were tasked to scatter them around in the top tier of trees, under shrubs and the like in the pens where the younger pandas play in. Hong hid some fruits in the bushes while Kiwi dug holes in the shallow earth and buried some of them but leaving the top half visible for the pandas to see. Yao climbed up the trees and left apples on the top most tree branches as well as on the wooden rafts that were tied between two adjacent trees. Some treats were plopped onto the water and some young pandas dove in to reach them while others slowly climbed the trees to get the sweet smelling fruits way up there. Kiwi directly fed one of the smaller pandas directly from his hand and giggled; the panda making happy noises as it ate. Soon he got trapped between three pandas who were more interested in his basket of fruits than of the strange new comer.

Last but not the least comes the most challenging task of carefully putting the baby pandas into their mothers' cages. Due to the very high risk of getting mauled by a giant panda, the three will only carry the baby pandas and the official caretakers will be the one who will put them inside. Kiwi's eyes sparkled at the rolling baby pandas in the nursery. Kiwi, Hong and Yao picked up one each and cradled them gently in their arms.

"Waaaan~ Theyre so cute, aru." says Kiwi.

Yao chuckled. [...He's starting to say aru like me, aru...] he thought. [...how cute. I wonder how Arthur will react to that ahaha...]

Kiwi hugged the little panda gently before handing it over to the caretaker. They watched as they got some hay ((or straw)) from the pen and smothered it on the little panda to put the mother's scent on it. They say if they don't do that, the mother may either attack the baby or ignore it as it cannot identify its own offspring due to them being nursed separately as soon as they are born. Then while the mother is distracted, they carefully place the baby panda onto a nearby hay stack and wait for the mother to sniff it and hug it close. Kiwi frowned as he watched the mother and the baby snuggle together, looking down.

[...I wish daddy will do that with me and mummy...] he thought.

Yao noticed the child's sudden silence as the caretaker took his baby panda from him. [...He may be always cheerful...but he is also plagued by problems that hinder him from having a happy childhood...]

A loud growl permeated the room and Yao blinked, looking around for the source of the sound. Apparently, it came from Hong's stomach. Yao checked the overhead clock to see it was already around 12:20 pm, signalling the time for lunch. And watching the pandas eat all day made his stomach complain too.

"Well aru. I guess were having lunch at one of the happiest places on earth!" he said cheerfully.

"Happiest place on earth? Is it in London, aru?" asked Kiwi, tilting his head to the side, eyes set with newfound curiosity; the sad thoughts completely forgotten.

[...Ayiah...That will never be the happiest place on earth, aru...] he thought. "No no. I'm talking about Hong's Disneyland! There would be many of places to eat there so all we have to do is pick. It's rather far from here but we'll get there. We can buy pastries or snacks along the way if you're already hungry, aru. What's more is that we can even go on the rides."

"Like Dumbo the flying elephant, the Cinderella carousel and the mad hatter's tea cup ride." said Hong. "There are six areas of fun in my Disneyland. And once you get in, I'm not kidding when I say that you would never want to leave."

"I wanna go! I wanna go! I wanna go!" chanted Kiwi as he jumped up and down.

"Well then, let's get going aru." says Yao.

They all said goodbye to the caretakers and hastily went back to their car. Along the way, Hong explained the six places in Disneyland: Grizzly Gulch, Toy story land, Fantasy Land, Tomorrow Land, Adventure land and main street, U. S. A. The first Disneyland was opened in the United States and Yao and Hong coordinated with Alfred to open one here to spread the happiness with everyone and let children explore a land where dreams come true; as well as boost revenues that benefits both countries. In order to keep the new project running, they will need tons of money. And boy did their plan work and profits returned tenfold.

"It is also the easiest places to get lost. So remember to stay close to us alright aru?" says Yao. "Hong got lost three times and it almost gave me a heart attack!" [...because some nations actually visit there too, and I don't want anyone getting Hong while we were separated...I remember seeing Ivan.] He thought, his spine tingling.

Kiwi saw the Disneyland sign from the highway and began to feel all giddy with excitement. Hong and Yao smiled at each other as the car drove by the lane outside the giant Disneyland arch and set them down there before heading off to the parking lot. The ticket booths were packed with tourists; with lines stretching way behind the norm. Luckily, Yao spotted Taiwan and South Korea already lined up and next to be assisted and got them to buy them tickets as well.

"Oh, who's this little cutie?" asked Taiwan, patting Kiwi on the head.

"That's Steven, or Kiwi aru. He's Arthur's. He left for a meeting and asked if he can tag along with us for now. Ayiah! Yong Soo, stop that!" he said.

South Korea had his rape face on and couldn't resist the urge to grope the child. "What? I' m not even doing anything!"

"Not yet." says Hong, pulling Kiwi away from him.

"Touch him and Arthur will run after you with Busby's chair, aru." warned Yao. "But thank you for helping us get tickets. It looks like I might get old just standing there. It's Kiwi's first time here and I wouldn't want us to waste time under the blazing sun just waiting in line."

Yong Soo snickered at what he said while Taiwan smacked his back. "Don't be mean! Well, were going to get going. Have fun Kiwi." She said, smiling before dragging South Korea with her inside the gates.

"We should also get going, aru. When in Disneyland, every second counts."

Kiwi and Hong held hands and they lined up to enter the gates. They get stamped on the wrist so that they can enter and exit the park when they need to. Kiwi's smile widened as he looked around, watching the train pass on the overhead station, the giant mouse face thing made of flowers on the grass that Hong called "Mickey Mouse", and the throngs of people everywhere. Being inside Arthur's house most of the time, Kiwi has forgotten how it felt like to just be outside with everyone. A Mickey Mouse mascot suddenly pops out of nowhere and people ran in line to get a picture with him; and Yao noticed Kiwi also joined them.

"Kiwi wait, aru!" shouted Yao, holding Hong's hand and running after him.

Playing rugby with Aussie paid off as the New Zealander got the second spot from the surprise meet and greet. Yao caught up with him as soon as they were called for the picture taking. Mickey picked up both Hong and Kiwi while Yao stood next to him as they smiled at the photographer. Kiwi then grabbed its nose and laughed as he felt it twitch slightly. Mickey "laughed" and planted a small kiss on each of the boys' cheeks before carefully setting them down and waved goodbye.

"Mickey is so cool! Are there more of them?" asked Kiwi, skipping as they walked towards Main street.

"There are. There's Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Goofy, Pluto and all the other characters. Some have their own special places where you can get a chance to catch them and have a photo like that. You were really lucky to get one with Mickey though. Normally people give up lining up because most of the time Mickey has to leave for a parade and lining up was really useless." explained Hong.

"Speaking of parades, aru, I think we're just in time for one right now." He said, looking at the direction where people began to sit on the sidewalk or finding places to stand along the pavement. Guards helped the others cross and set up places where the visitors can stay. The street song that was being played stopped and now everyone's anxiously talking and fixing their cameras or saving their spot so that no one can take them. The guards signalled the audience to maintain in their places as new music flowed from the speakers. Yao found them a spot that someone abandoned in the front and made sure that they were comfortable, giving them Siopao that they bought along the way to snack on.

The parade started with a Dumbo float with the letterings: "Flights of Fantasy" while the background music played a Disney song medley of Zip-a-di-doo-dah, Mickey's song (M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-u-s-e song) and others. A marching band followed, dancing and playing to the rhythmic beat. Another group marched in waving flags and wore bright costumes of yellow, red and purple. The next float was bigger and had a hot air balloon accompanied by a glistening ship. There, Kiwi saw Goofy, Donald, Pluto, Minnie, Chip and Dale as they waved at everyone and sent some flying kisses. Pooh's honey themed hot air balloon was joined by Eeyore and Tigger, going near kids and the crowd and shook hands with them. The float after that was gigantic, animatronics of Pooh, Dumbo and Roo blew bubbles and waved at the cheering viewers while dancers jumped up and down on their elastic jumpers dressed as bees who were guarding their honey sanctuary from Pooh. Dancers dressed in elegant costumes accompanied the beautiful princess swan float that carried Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora and Belle.

The parade's background music changes as a new float came about. The music from the Lion King and Toy Story was also played while Fairies and colourful flowers danced about, inviting some children to join the parade for a bit. Kiwi and Hong went with the selected few and tried to imitate the graceful twirls and steps of a beautiful fairy. Yao watched as the two boys laughed and giggled together and held hands as they danced. It was rare for him to see Hong so happy with someone else. He has to thank Kiwi and Arthur for that someday.

The crowd dispersed as fast as they came when the parade was over. Yao spotted the Plaza Inn and decided to eat there. The ambiance was designed in relation to Disney's movie "Mulan". Giant glowing paper lanterns lights up the restaurant and the stained glass dividers give the diners their much needed family time. The round tables were equipped with state of the art china ware that made even Yao impressed. The lanterns changed to smaller wooden lanterns that complimented the woodwork and made it more pleasing to the eye. After they have settled in, Yao ordered their signature dish called Signature Pan-fried Pork, Beef and Pepper Buns. He also asked for a plate of Diced beef with broccoli, two servings of steamed rice wrapped in lotus Leaf with diced chicken, mushroom and egg, Peking duck and chicken bean curd rolls. Kiwi used cutleries while Yao and Hong used chopsticks as they ate. Kiwi eventually wanted to try it too but was too hungry to continue when he failed to pick up a bun after a few tries. They talked about how New Zealand was like before Arthur came. Kiwi mentioned how wonderful their Fjord was, and the forests and inland waters were teaming with exotic animals. He also said that sheep outnumbered the people a million to one, much to their surprise. "How can you manage so many sheep?" asked Hong as he ate some duck. "Sometimes Aussie helps me out. But they aren't much trouble as you think. Sheep are very obedient and love to keep themselves clean so I don't have to worry about them running around the mud. Sheep helps in getting money, says mummy. He taught me how to export the wool I help sheer to other countries to um...sustain my country I think." explained Kiwi.

"I see. Arthur's right though, aru. I hear your country is growing well. And I am proud of you just like I am with Hong aru." says Yao, smiling. [...so long as you don't grow too fast...] he thought sadly.

* * *

They enjoyed their late lunch with other conversations about themselves; most questions coming from Kiwi due to his incredibly high curiosity of the world around him. In another table, someone watches them carefully. His glasses gleamed as he eats his bowl of noodles, noting their activities as soon as he got inside the gates right after they did. His dark green military suit goes unnoticed, along with his dark blonde hair and intuitive green eyes. He caught Kiwi's eyes a few times, but the child dismissed him as another random person trying to enjoy a break from all the fun. The other two failed to see him. He nodded to his partner in a separate table across the room. This one also has a good view of their table but only enough that they cannot see him. He had shoulder-length brown hair and calm green eyes. He wore an earpiece and listened to the audio feed that was connected beneath the trio's table. It was easy enough to pay the waiter to attach it when Kiwi accidentally dropped his fork and needed a new one; bending down the pick it up and sticking the device under the table before getting up.

They kept a close eye on them in case any important information would be leaked in their conversations, as ordered by him. Their third accomplice has confirmed that Arthur was indeed away as said by Yao to Taiwan earlier while he was casually fixing his bag nearby. It is now only a matter of time before the next phase begins.

* * *

Oh my...now who can those three be? I hope no one spoils their identities when they review though xD The fun is guessing who they

are! so if you think you know who they are, keep it to yourself for now 8D Thank you so much for reading everyone, and I wish that you

will now experience the desire to go visit the country and see these places among other great ones like me 8D /addicted to travelling.

Now, Onward to chapter 9, aru (/ *w*)/


	9. Chapter 9: R and R? NOT

Allo minna-san! SUMMER BREAK IS HERE WHOO! I am totally free to update this when the juices start flowing so

hopefully it does =)) Sorry again if it took awhile for me to update. Exams decided to bite me on the butt if you know what I mean xD

And so please enjoy chapter 9 and once again, Reviews are loved xD

P.S (times two):

1. I do not own hetalia.

2. I do not own Disney. it is too awesome for me to even go there normally since I dont live in America or anywhere that has it xD

* * *

**Chapter 9: Rest and Relaxation?..NOT**

* * *

Yao's day came by in a blur. Literally.

After they had lunch, it was rather obvious that the next few things in a child's mind are the endless rides in Hong Kong Disneyland. They started with the basics: Dumbo the flying elephant. Since the space was only for two people, Hong volunteered to join Kiwi onto the ride. Yao made sure to tell them to ascend slowly when the elephants began to spin and gaining speed over the next few minutes. That was when Kiwi grabs hold of the joystick and cranked it upwards; jolting their elephant to the highest height they can reach. The cold wind whipped through their hair and the two young nations huddled together closely for warmth. As the spinning gradually slowed and brought all the elephants back down to their normal stations, the children tottered happily to the exit with Kiwi having a fit of giggles.

The next one they rode almost made Yao regret eating a bit too much of those pork buns. Kiwi made them line up for the mad hatter's tea cups and chose a blue cup when it was their group's turn to enter. Hong may have helped spinning the wheel that made the whole cup spin, but Kiwi had an iron grip and kept turning it like he had the strength that was equivalent to three men and eventually making Yao cover his mouth as he turned slightly green from the velocity and dizziness. Colors spun around in his vision, and he could have sworn he saw a glimpse of Prussia and Spain in another cup except he really couldn't tell what was what.

"Hey Gilbert, isn't that Yao Wang? And who's the new kid?" asked Antonio.

"Eh? Must be Arthur's. Just look at those eyebrows! It's a wonder a lot of nations have them, being England's colonies or ex ones. It's like a new trend and sooner or later we might be pressured to grow ours out! Not awesome!" exclaimed Gilbert.

"I don't think anyone who doesn't have them would want them. The kid looks cute though. I wonder if..." Antonio had his pedophile smile on as they watched them.

They got off and he walked at an uneven and curved pace for the next five minutes as they dragged him one ride after the other. They took some stops at the small kiosks that dotted the streets, be it food or merchandise. Yao bought himself some Disney themed tea cups with saucers while Kiwi shared a large churro with Hong. They also went into the various stores and bought Kiwi some t-shirts, Mickey ears headbands, and refrigerator magnets that Yao likes collecting.

In adventure land, Yao and Hong decided to bring Kiwi on a ride on the jungle safari. It took awhile for them to make him understand that some of the animals are only water proofed robots and that there weren't any Indians out there to kill them with their spears. By coincidence, their tour guide for their boat had an Australian accent and Kiwi was more than happy to keep him talking despite his usual conversation with the passengers. Kiwi also had this strange desire to jump off the boat and just go swim, just like he used to with Aussie in one of his numerous swamps and go hunting crocodiles to tussle with; especially when a robotic crocodile was there in front of him.

Hong Kong wanted to try out Space Mountain over at Tomorrow land. On the way there though, a large mob of tourists went with them. It was very difficult to move leisurely as everyone was in the rush, especially those who have fast passes. Yao felt someone push him from behind and glared at no one in particular as the mob continues to force them to move forward. Kiwi felt like he was getting squished with everyone else taller than him besides the other children who came with them. Yao began to push people out of their way as they rushed to the side stores and avoiding everyone else.

Yao let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "That was crazy, aru. Hong sure does get plenty of visitors here, right Kiwi aru?"

His eyes widened as he looked down towards the young nation, only to find nothing. Panic rose inside him as he looked around the store to see if he was there. "Kiwi, Kiwi?!" he called desperately. Oh god, this can't be happening right now.

"Hong, have you seen Kiwi?" he asked; his panic rising as Hong shook his head. He went outside to check if he was nearby any of the stores that were within their proximity. One tourist thought he was a lunatic and told him that there was a fruit cart by the Juice shack if he needed kiwi fruits that badly.

Ayiah, the happiest place on earth, and he just lost a seven year old kid who's bound to be anywhere.

* * *

Kiwi wanted to cry. After the group of people passed, he could no longer find Hong or Yao. He wasn't used to being anyone alone, and something tells him that he was no longer in Adventure land since he was pretty sure a giant springy dog ride won't be anywhere near the jungle. Arthur told him that if ever he got lost, he should ask the police to bring him to a concierge and have whoever that was with him paged over the sound system then stay put. But no one looked like a policeman/women there, and he was shy to ask. He saw a few nations though, most was because of the pictures Arthur had in his files and had labels on them. He saw Lithuania talking to Latvia while drinking a soda; Prussia and Spain who he thinks was smiling at him funny from afar; Cuba secretly trying to light his cigar behind a bush and even Italy clinging to Germany as they rode some kind of green soldier parachute drop. You can practically hear Italy's shrill voice amidst the surrounding noise.

The sun was hovering over them, making Kiwi sweat as he ran to the shade. He opened his sheep shaped bag and started to drink from his water bottle. This place would be so great if he wasn't so alone now; and that springy dog ride looked awfully fun as he watched Vietnam and Taiwan riding it.

Now, was it just him or did Spain and Prussia looked like they moved closer to him compared to just a minute ago. Kiwi walked a little ways off towards the parachute ride. England also told him that Prussia can't do much if Germany was around. Gilbert then spotted west and quickly pushed Antonio forward, laughing nervously. Kiwi watched as Spain walked closer, smiling. The boy trembled and did not move, clutching his sheep close.

"Hola! I am Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, better known as Spain. Gilbert and I noticed that you were with Yao awhile ago. Could you tell me who you are and why you are suddenly all alone out here? "He said; also muttering, "...Just ready to be brought home fusosososo..."

"U-um...I-I'm Steven Walters...or K-kiwi. I-I got lost, and I-I don't know w-where Y-yao is..." he said quietly.

"Well then, why don't we help you go find them hmm? We'll go around." He said, smile broadening.

"That won't be necessary." said a nation behind him; looking at him coldly.

* * *

"Why is it that I lose him so easily?!" cried Yao as he walked around the park. His feet ached and would definitely appreciate just sitting down at a cafe for an hour except he had a nation to find. They checked Tomorrow land, Fantasy land and even went back to Adventure land yet there was no sign of that distinct sheep curled hair. They resorted to asking any nation that they came across:

"Do you know that it is very difficult to find anyone here if you get lost with no means of contacting each other?" says Eduard. (Estonia)

"I-I h-haven't s-seen him. S-sorry..." said Matthew. He said it so quietly that Yao had to lean in just to hear.

"Dude, why would anyone name a kid Kiwi? That's just so weird! By the way, what's a Kiwi?" asked Alfred as he ate a large pizza pie.

"Forgive me, I haven't seen him. But I will look for Kiwi-kun after I get a picture with Mickey Mouse." says Kiku.

"You have to be more attentive of your companions' whereabouts! Anyone could just sneak up and kidnap them! Never let your guard down and keep an eye on everyone at all times!" scolded Basch. (Switzerland) "Big brother, please calm down they are just trying to ask if we saw him." says Lili. (Liechtenstein)

"Arthur has another kid with him who's younger than me and he's considered as a nation?!" exclaimed Sealand.

"Ayiah, how hard is it to find a little kid here. Not one nation saw him yet." sighed Yao. They entered Toy Story land and started their search. Hong looked around the bushes while he asked people. One of them said that he saw a little boy with blonde hair that had a curl like a ram's darting around while some brunette speaking in Spanish was running after him.

"Spanish? You mean Antonio! Why does he always run after children when he can't even handle Lovino, aru." says Yao.

Suddenly, a faint voice came from the crowd, calling out his name. He looked around trying to see who it was and saw Kiwi. Yao smiled brightly as he took Hong and ran towards him. He stopped on his tracks however, when he saw that he was being carried by...

"Francis..." he said, eyes wide.

The wavy blonde haired nation winked at him flirtatiously. "Oui Mon Cherie, it is I, the fabulous Francis Boneffoy, at your service. Say, since we're all here, why don't we let the children play somewhere while we have a wonderful date at the cafe together?"

"No thank you, aru. But I am grateful that you have found Kiwi. We tried our best but the area was too big to find him in a short period of time. We are lucky that you stumbled upon him, aru. That, I am thankful for." said Yao.

Francis' eyes glinted for a moment. "Ah, so you were the one who brought Kiwi here? I thought it would be Angleterre. I am saddened that the boy saw Hong Kong's Disneyland first than mine, but then again any child would want to visit all of them so Disneyland Paris would just have to wait. After all, like they say, save the best for last honhonhon. Though, I should ask Arthur why he had to bother you while I was free to babysit instead. I am truly sorry if he had to put you through such a tiresome errand."

"It is alright, aru. Kiwi has been a very good boy. Well, except he tends to get lost. But I don't want to put him on some child leash like some people do. I find that cruel, aru." says Yao, taking Kiwi from him.

At first, Francis unconsciously tried to move away when Yao tried to reach out for Kiwi. Yao blinked and cocked his head to the side. "Is something wrong, aru?"

[...I can just walk away now and bring the little demon to him this instant...] he thought. "Ah sorry, it has been awhile since I carried him. My apologies." He said as he placed Kiwi in his arms. [...It is not a good time to do so however...]

Kiwi smiled and wrapped his arms around Yao's neck in a hug. Francis felt his blood boil but did not show it, forcing a smile. "Will you be staying in a hotel here?" he asked. Numerous plans were flooding into his mind. Hire a kidnapper, burn the hotel room and use the distraction to go get him, get Kiwi lost after an hour and such.

Yao shook his head. "We are only here for a day, aru. And I am pretty sure it would be hard to get a room during this season. We do not mind though, we can come back some other day if Arthur won't be back yet."

"Ah I see, well, glad to hear that you are having fun together. I must be off. I have many places to be and so little time. Au revoir everyone."

"Bye bye daddy, aru." says Kiwi, waving his hand.

Francis turned around and waved at him, smiling. [...I will get my hands on you, you little ingrate...]

"Kiwi, I'm sorry for not taking better care of you." said Yao, frowning. The child also frowned and hugged him again. "Yao does a good job at taking care of me yup!"

He just chuckled at him and then spoke to Hong. "We still have time for a ride or two. To space mountain we go, aru!"

* * *

Francis walked along Main Street and saw Antonio and Gilbert from afar eating churros. He made his way to the bad touch duo and scowled at them bitterly. "How many times do I have to tell the both of you not to go near New Zealand!" he exclaimed.

"Well you never told us what he looked like so we didn't even know until you showed up." said Antonio as he took another bite out of his churro.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Why would it matter anyway? Not to you at any rate. If it was Arthur he'd cast his black magic on us to hallucinate mutant Gilbirds with frothing beaks or rotten tomatoes."

Antonio gasped at the rotten tomatoes part, his eyes wide in horror. "Not my tomatoes have mercy!"

"Since I lacked too many details then perhaps I should start with Angleterre being out of town in god knows where. So pipe down with the black magic he only uses that when he's either in mortal peril, revenge or scaring the crud out of people if his threats won't work. Not that it would work on me though I am too beautiful for such deranged magic to affect me. It would rather make me even more gorgeous if that was possible no?"

"Yeah keep telling that to yourself. Oh and I heard that the kid's practically messing up your plans for that French mall you planned on setting up in the Pacific. Why don't you just bribe him with a toy store brimming with sheep or something? It wouldn't be awesome like me but it might get him to accept."

Francis just smiled pleasantly at him. A little bit too pleasant. "Because you idiot, Arthur doesn't want me to! How Infuriating! He claims that the boy knows nothing of trade and industry yet which is why I'm making plans to help him. Yet Arthur thinks I am a heartless man bound to lay his perfectly slender hands on his abundant resources just to improve my economy."

"Um, wasn't that your original plan that you decided to indirectly bring up with the brit under all that mall construction?" said Antonio.

"And weren't you just busily eating churros and fretting over rotten tomatoes?" the Frenchman hissed.

Antonio gasped again. "You fiend!"

"Alright alright we get it, you're desperate. Just make sure we won't get dragged into this mess, Francis." says Gilbert.

Francis scoffed. "I wouldn't even think you two would help me despite us being the bad touch trio. And so I stroke a deal with someone else. Someone who is way more powerful and dangerous than I am even when I am having a bad hair day."

"Woah, someone like that actually exists?" laughed Gilbert.

"Laugh all you want. But remember this: it is either that insignificant little nation or me. And we all know who's more important."

"If you're talking about who's more important to Arthur it's definitely Kiwi" says Antonio.

"Shut up and eat your churros!"

* * *

Nyahahaha I guess it's another short chapter again, sorry. But god I love Disneyland so much. /smacked

Hope you guys liked it :3 Iggychu moments will come in later chapters if that's what your minds are thinking right now xD

Onwards to chapter 10, aru (/ *w*)


	10. Chapter 10: Again and Again

Allo everyone :D whoo summer = more chances to update faster. Ne i want to thank everyone who reads my fanfics

and those who PM me their guesses for whatever reasons xD again, hope you will enjoy and reviews are loved 3 but you

dont need to really xD

P.S: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA YUP! 8D

* * *

**Chapter 10: Again and Again**

* * *

The next few days were slightly quiet compared to their little misadventure on their first outing. Yao woke up early to prepare breakfast for the boys: a serving of wonton noodles and warm soup with a side of dumplings. The aroma made its way to Hong Kong's room where the two shared a bed during Kiwi's stay. The New Zealander blinked his eyes open and yawned, noticing that he was hugging Hong in his sleep. Hong also opened his eyes but buried his face in his panda pillow, too tired to get up just yet. A low gurgling sound told the boys that breakfast was due, and the smell coming from the outside was not making them feel any better. They were to stay home for now as Yao needed to start getting back to his usual routine of housework that he was unable to do. In order to show his gratitude in taking care of him, Kiwi decided to also help out with the chores and be a good guest.

The little nation has grown accustomed to living in the Wang Residence. He knew which things goes where and doesn't get lost when he has to go to the bathroom. He began to treat the place as his third home (the first is obviously his nation, the second being England's) and made a mental note to visit once Arthur has returned. He busied himself with washing the dishes with Hong while Yao mopped up the floor of any crumbs and stains. Kiwi also went with Yao and Hong in tending their garden and even planted several Kowhai, his national flower. Yao thought it would also help their chances of staying as the defending champions for another year in their annual garden festival, adding a bonus to its diversity and beauty. Foreign plants and flowers were welcomed in the judging, and if Yao's garden already boasted the best of the eastern world, why not allow the west to do the same? (So long as it doesn't overpower the orient). The three worked quietly yet with vigour as they pulled every weed and watered each plant.

It took them approximately three hours to tend the garden as well as feed Yao's numerous pandas with equal piles of freshly cut bamboo stalks. Kiwi's lamb was allowed to frolic outside with them so long as it won't go too close or else they might be looking at a flattened rug right after. A slight breeze rustled the chimes that were outside the porch, making a melodious tune. With such a bright and cloudless day, the trio decided to have their lunch outside in the form of a picnic, with an assortment of sandwiches, cold plate, noodles, Siopao, fortune cookies, slices of cake and fruits (along with kiwifruits). The giant pandas lazily ate their bamboo as the day slowly passed.

* * *

Arthur scowled as he waited aimlessly for the other line to pick up, tapping his fingers on the table. It has been three days since he was told that the bloody Frenchman was not home and his secretary has refused to say where he went. The two nations were scheduled to meet up at one of Francis' private conference rooms but only to be rudely stood up by the latter with not so much as just a letter. Now he sat there in his hotel room as grumpy as ever, trying to get a hold of him.

"Bloody wanker..." he muttered, trying to place a call for the umpteenth time.

To his surprise, the line connected after the fifth ring and a French accent drifted to his ear. "Bonjour this is Francis Boneffoy speaking." it said.

"Well, look who decided to pick up..." said Arthur indignantly.

On the other side of the line, Francis froze with eyes wide. _Merde_, he forgot all about their supposed meeting about the little demon nation due to his immediate trip to China, other clearly remembering and was agitated now because of his slip up. His hands trembled but spoke in the calmest manner that he can manage. "I-is that you Angleterre? Where are you right now?"

"Where else do you think, you git?! I waited for hours on end for you and then your secretary comes just to tell me you weren't in! Where are your manners?! Are you going to be there or did you purposely waste my time yet again for your so-called important beauty appointments?" he said.

"Calm down Arthur, I apologize for not attending. But if you have met my secretary then she would have mentioned that I was out of the country for...another meeting with my boss. You know how we have to always tag along with them when they do. So it is not technically my fault. Yet if you insist on discussing your matters right now then do you have a Skype account?" he asked.

"You mean that application in a computer where you can video call and chat at the same time? Are you finally getting into the 21st century you old hag?" he mocked.

"Old hag?! How dare you! I may be older but my mind is as young as ever! And so is my perfectly radiant skin! Try me, I can name as many as 50 brands of cars that are supplying the world with automobiles in less than two minutes!" he exclaimed, feeling rather annoyed at the younger nation.

Arthur rolled his eyes and waved his silly antics aside. "Now don't blow a fuse. You might blame me for another bad hair day. I'll log in once I end the call. You better be there or you can bet that I'll have something for you before my leave" he threatened before ending the conversation.

[...Why that annoying Brit...] Thought Francis as he quickly logged into his Skype account and waiting for it to load.

When he was logged in, he double clicked the Englishman's name in his list of contacts and invited him to a video chat. Once accepted, he was greeted by a very annoyed face of Arthur Kirkland on his laptop screen.

"Took you long enough frog. Is your internet connection as slow as how your mind processes things now?" he said, chuckling to himself.

"My connections are just fine it is the incompetent hotel that has problems" he huffed. "In France we give first class services in every single accommodation possible; in other countries not so much."

"Will you stop talking highly of your bloody nation? If it's so perfect then perhaps you can lay off Steven and go boast somewhere else!" said Arthur, annoyed now.

"Humph. Impatient punk. Now, I am sure that you will never accept my proposal for an innocent little mall on the island nation. So I have thought of an alternative."

"And pray tell what is it? Hopefully nothing idiotic." He spat, glaring at him through the screen.

"I am asking for 20% of the total coal, petroleum and minerals that New Zealand produces annually. If I cannot set up infrastructure on his lands then I will redeem it through resources. In exchange, since you have been all up and about with his young age, then I am willing to provide military power against any nation that tries to invade the oceanic island." He said confidently. "There will be at least one exclusive port for my nation in order to ship out the exports to my country. It will be guarded, I assure you. 24-hour surveillance on its route, in case any riffraff decides to halt the transfers."

Arthur allowed him to finish but his face says it all. He glare was throwing daggers at the other and Francis was thankful that he did not meet up with him after all. Arthur slammed his palms on the table and snarled at the monitor threateningly. "Are you barking mad?! 20% of his resources annually?! You'll make the boy bankrupt if for some bloody reason that I would even consider it! You are the epitome of greed and negligence that drove your nation to the ground! This is also exactly my reasons why I refused to have a union with you because you are nothing but a spoiled brat. You are even worse than Alfred!"

"Do not compare me with your uncivilized colony! He lacks style, class, proper etiquette and exercise! Except that is not my point Angleterre. How could you manage another nation on your own if you cannot even get Alfred to stay in your control, which is why you asked for my help is it not? So now I am merely asking for the equivalent exchange of my services. If you think about it, 20% is not too much to ask for compared to taking the entire thing and leaving nothing in its wake right?" He said, smiling at him.

Arthur stared at him as he carefully recited each word that he just said. What was in that last sentence that made his blood curl? Francis just smiled at him pleasantly, waiting for his response. Oh how he would love to punch the frog face right now.

"Francis Boneffoy, what in blazes did you do?!" he growled.

"Nothing, as you can see, I am just here having a conversation with you." He said, his annoying grin quietly taunts him. "Although I may have to leave you to ponder on that, as I have some other businesses to attend to. Call me when you have decided. If your answer is still no then make sure you have a new alternative for me. Au revoir"

The video feed went dead and Arthur was now alone in his hotel room. With all the thoughts swirling in his mind, he logged off Skype and launched his nation tracker and set the information on Francis. It took several agonizing minutes of waiting before the system locked on his location. China.

"I knew it!" he yelled, cussing the entire time as he hastily grabbed all of his belongings as neatly as he could into his bags and speed dialled Yao. He cussed even louder when the line cannot be established and instead called his secretary to send him a car. It was generally faster for nations to get to another one instead of a plane; most of the time he only goes through the trouble to find comfort in his private jet. But time was again against him. Driving it is.

France packed a small suitcase with him as he smiled to his laptop screen. He has successfully blocked out all incoming calls from Arthur's phone from Yao's mobile services the minute he logged out. He cannot allow the punk to go spoiling his plans to Yao now. He requested for a cab and hopped in, telling the driver his destination as he pulled out a sheet of paper and browsed through his lines. In order to persuade a nation to give up something, a good act must be put on, and oh how he loved the drama.

* * *

Yao was preparing dinner while Hong and Kiwi were playing with the baby panda and sheep on the floor. The two have grown close and spent play time together whenever they can. What's more is that their fortune cookies during lunchtime were connected in a way. Hong's said "In others you will find happiness" while in Kiwi's it says "Look around at times of loneliness and you shall find someone there for you." Although Yao thought Kiwi's sounded like some stalker, he decided to go against saying it so that the boy won't get scared. Yao flipped the wok a few times while cooking the fried rice before transferring it on a plate and setting it down on the table. He had two cups of vanilla milkshakes for the boys; shanghai rolls, pork chop seuy, beef in black bean sauce a plate of Chinese cabbage.

He was about to call them over when someone knocked on the door. He wiped his hands on the kitchen towel and made his way to the door while Kiwi and Hong peered in from the living room. Yao was surprised to see Francis smiling at him.

"Bonjour, Yao. I am sorry for coming unannounced." He said, looking at him sheepishly.

"Ah, it is alright, aru. Do come in." Gesturing him to enter and led him to the living room.

"I have some important matters to discuss, in private if you may." He stated, looking at the children without really making eye contact.

"Oh...um...Hong, aru, bring Kiwi to the kitchen and eat dinner without me. I have to talk to Mr. Boneffoy first, aru. Please do not wait for me." He said to the quiet one while bringing Francis upstairs to the guest room.

Hong watched them go and cocked his head to the side in confusion but then took Kiwi and ate. Meanwhile, Yao locked the door to the room as Francis sat down on one of the chairs. "Would you like some tea, aru?"

Francis shook his head. "No thank you. I am pressed for time but I will have to be certain that you would understand. Anyway, how is Kiwi here Yao?" he asked.

"Eh? He is doing well, aru. Like I said when we met over at Disneyland, he has been such a good boy. Also helps with the housework. A fine nation he would grow up to be, aru." He said, sitting down with a cup of tea and taking a sip.

Francis' eye twitched a bit as it reminded him so much of Arthur but continued. "I see. No trouble whatsoever? Not to be rude but, any child would have problems in behaviour at some point. Do you see him outside on his own feeling lonely? Or perhaps his comfort zone is being with Hong all the time and he has having a hard time making friends?"

"Well Kiwi has yet to meet other children since we do not go to places to meet others. Just us if you know what I mean. Why are you asking me these things, aru?" he questioned, curiosity increasing.

Francis sighed and looked down, playing with his tie. "I just wanted to know how my son is doing. It has been over two years since I had proper time with him. Arthur has been rather cross with me and had kept my dear Kiwi away from me. Now that he isn't here, I thought it may be my chance to be with him before someone points a gun at me."

Yao frowned at him. "I don't mean to be rude aru but sometimes when people see you, the first thing that comes into their head is that you would flirt with them and try to get them on the bed after getting them drunk, aru. I cannot blame Arthur for being cautious."

Francis chuckled a bit before sighing again. "That is why I came to ask you for help Yao. My original reason why I came here is to ask you if you will...l-let me take Kiwi home with me."

Yao paused from taking another sip of his tea and stared at him. The man before him known as Francis Boneffoy, infamous for bedding an insane amount of nations as well as part of the bad touch trio, was sincerely asking him for a request. At least, he thinks it is for now. He set down his tea and furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. "Why won't you ask Arthur yourself, aru? I really don't have any authority to allow you to do that. I'm here to look after Steven, and so if I hand him over to you, I'm not sure how Arthur would react, aru."

"This is where I would need you to understand. Arthur, by all means, will never let Kiwi stay with me. As a parent or older brother, you know how it feels to have someone taken away from you. Forgive me if ever I have treaded on a sensitive topic, but it is what I am feeling right now. I want to be with my son." He said in a sad tone, looking away.

"I-I...I don't know, aru." He muttered, looking away as well. His mind began to cloud over with memories of how Arthur forcefully took Hong from him while leaving his home in ruins. His sad eyes looking back at him that burned into his soul as he lay struggling to get up amidst the debris and smoke. Arthur staring down at him sadly as he weakly tried to keep Hong Kong close but only to see his hands leaving the small boy's waist and be carried off along with him. The boy stayed silent, but had a look of betrayal and innocent fear as they walked away from him. Black dots surrounded his vision, and the last thing he saw was Arthur looking back at him with tears in his eyes.

"Yao?"

Yao wiped his eyes with his sleeve when he finally snapped back into reality. Francis was standing next to him now with a worried look on his face. How long he spaced out he never noticed. But his heart continued to sink as he thought things through. He would never want anyone else to experience the same thing that he has; war or not. Yet something inside him doesn't want to give up Kiwi, he just doesn't know why.

"Are you alright?" he asked, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I-I'm fine aru." He said, breathing slowly to compose himself.

Francis looked at him hopefully as he waited for him to speak, unconsciously playing with his shirt. Yao closed his eyes and remembered how happy he was when Arthur finally agreed to let Hong Kong live with him again, himself smiling at the memory. Opening his eyes, his throat went dry as he tried to talk.

[...I must do what I have to do...] he thought.

"A-alright, I will let Kiwi go with you. I will help you pack his clothes and his things. If Arthur comes while you have yet to leave I will stall long enough. You have to promise to take care of him, aru and keep him safe. Swear on your life that you will aru." He said, trembling slightly.

[...Got you...] Francis smiled softly and nodded. "I promise. I swear on my life that Kiwi will never be harmed so long as I am alive."

"Okay, aru. Let's go."

Yao hurried upstairs with Francis and started to pack Kiwi's things inside his original bag neatly. Francis was trembling from adrenaline due to his plan working successfully as well as his time running out before Arthur gets there because he stupidly gave away a hint during their Skype conversation. When they finished, the most difficult task was ahead of them: telling Kiwi.

Hong and Kiwi had just finished cleaning the plates and were playing again when the two older nations entered the living room. Kiwi was as happy as ever and waved his sheep plush at them. "Will Yao and daddy play with us?" he asked.

Yao bent down and hold Kiwi's arms gently, trying not to make his voice crack. "Kiwi, aru, you have been such a wonderful guest and it was an adventure meeting you, aru. I would love you to visit sometime so that we can go have more picnics together with Hong. Ask your daddy or mummy before you do alright?" He hugged him close, and Francis felt like he wanted to kick him.

"I don't get it, aru." the boy said, tilting his head to the side.

"Mon petit Kiwi, you always told me that you wanted to be with daddy oui? Yao has agreed to let me bring you home where we will wait for your mummy. Is that okay with you?" said Francis, crouching down to his level, smiling.

Kiwi looked between the two nations. Only now did his daddy give him such attention, and recently his mummy has been very angry because of it. He hears very little of what they talk about, something about his country. But finally his daddy wants to be with him, just like before. And maybe his mummy will arrive and they will have lunch together just like what he had with Hong and Yao.

"I don't mind, aru." He said smiling, hugging Yao back. Yao felt his eyes water as he carried him and kissed him gently on the forehead before handing him over to Francis. Francis took him and hugged him tightly, looking at Yao. "Thank you so much, Yao."

Yao stood with Hong outside their door as they watched Francis bring Kiwi to their car. Kiwi looked back at him with a sad look but smiled as he waved at him. Yao felt his heart break as he imagined Kiwi as Hong, and Francis as Arthur. Someone dear to him was being taken away from him, except now he had no right to call out and bring him back. Hong waved sadly at his friend quietly, not knowing how to react. The car sped off into the road and soon disappeared behind the bend.

The area was again silent with nothing but the sound of crickets. The two stood there in the dimly lit porch for a few minutes before Yao picked up Hong and brought him inside. Yao cannot seem to find any words to say as he placed Hong onto a chair before resuming cleaning the other utensils he used for cooking. Hong hung his head low, hugging his baby panda and quietly sulking over his friend.

* * *

Francis drove a little too fast than normal as he made his way through the country side. Kiwi, who was sitting in front but with a child seatbelt fastened securely on him, looked out the window as Yao's house slowly left his sight. They had no conversation for awhile, and Kiwi found it uncomfortable so he decided to try his luck.

"Daddy, when mummy comes home can we plan a picnic together, aru?" he asked happily.

Francis rolled his eyes behind his shades as he turned left to enter the highway. "We will talk about it when Arthur is with us Kiwi. Now please be quiet." He said flatly.

Kiwi blinked and frowned. "Oh... where will we be staying daddy? Does mummy know where we will be, aru?"

"Yes yes he knows where we are so just please do me a favour and keep quiet. And stop saying aru at the end of your sentences." He said, checking his GPS if he was going the right way.

"Why, aru?" the child asked innocently.

"Because it is annoying now shut up or else you won't get any dinner." He snarled at him.

Kiwi whimpered and stopped talking, hugging his lamb who thankfully didn't make any noise. His once sweet daddy was again the scary man who always visits his mummy to argue about him. Now he misses Yao more than ever.

* * *

Arthur arrived in front of Yao's place and began to pound on the door out of sheer desperation. Yao, who was laying down Hong on his bed as the little nation fell asleep, heard the racket downstairs and briskly went down to answer it. Arthur was already calling out as he got there and opened it, annoyed at the noise he was making.

"Keep quiet, aru Hong is already asleep!" he hissed, letting the Brit inside.

Arthur was trying to keep his heart beat down before he grabbed him by the shoulders, a wild look in his eyes.

"Is Kiwi here?! Where is he?!" he demanded, shaking him.

Yao felt his brain rattle before slapping his arms off of his person. "Calm down, aru! Kiwi went with Francis. You can just call him to find out where they are aru now please keep your voice down!"

"You let Kiwi leave with Francis?! Without calling me first?! Bloody hell and I thought you would have enough sense not to! Francis is a wanker with a peanut sized consciousness and a watermelon sized ego." he half yelled, half said (or somewhere in between just not loud enough).

"What are you talking about aru? I just allowed him to be with his son! Unlike you, who came into my country with tanks and guns, taking Hong from me and ruining my home! At least he had the decency to speak without violence! If that's the only thing you will tell me, lecturing me for what I did then I suggest you get out and find Francis!" he shouted.

Arthur balled his fists into his hair in frustration. "That's what you don't understand, Yao! I will never let Kiwi be with Francis! He is vile and cruel and will do anything to get his nation back on its feet, including taking advantage of a younger nation just to do it!"

"Ayiah! Then don't just stand there and fix it, aru! You always go messing up people's lives or poking your nose into them even if you're not needed! And if you have such a big problem with Francis, I don't even know why you chose him to be Kiwi's father!"

Arthur once again grabbed Yao's shoulders and forced him to look at him straight in the eye. "It's because Francis was never Kiwi's father to begin with! You are!"

* * *

... HOLY CRUD /smacked. Right, so the whole truth resurfaces now. How will Yao take it? and What does Francis plan to do with

Kiwi? tune in for the next chapter and again, reviews are awesome 3

Onward to chapter 11 aru~ (/ *w*)


	11. Chapter 11: I'm cruel and I know it

Ok so bored to my wits that I keep updating the fanfic lol =)) so I finally spilled the beans. wonder what will

happen next~ reviews are loved ^_^ but you dont have to :D just knowing people like reading it is enough for me yup!

P.S = like for the gazillionth time I DO NOT OWN HETALIA 8D

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**Chapter 11: I'm cruel and I know it**

* * *

"It's because Francis was never Kiwi's father to begin with! You are!"

Yao gawked at him as he said those words, eyes widening. His surroundings blurred out into darkness, and his voice played out again and again in his mind. Arthur was claiming that he was Kiwi's legitimate father; yet he cannot understand how that can be deemed plausible if he never saw the child his entire life until only a few days ago. Not only that, but the child resembled nothing of himself of any sort; nothing that he noticed.

"H-how...If this is some sick joke you decided to pull on me Arthur then I'll hit you so hard on the head that you'll wake up in the next millennia, aru!" he yelled, pulling out his wok and waving it at him.

"Yao, I would never make jokes about these kinds of things, especially very important things. Kiwi is your son and second to Hong of any nation or country that we found when we were together. Therefore I wouldn't be surprised if after the next few minutes you would have the urge to kill me for only telling you this now while you practically sold out your own son in the past hour or two because you lacked any knowledge of this." He said, looking away.

"...I will get back to you on that selling out statement aru but before I do anything I want you to sit down and say everything you need to tell me about this and if you leave out anything aru I promise you will get out of this house bloody and beaten once I find out you did." He demanded, shoving him on the cough and sitting on the adjacent one. "Now start talking aru."

Arthur swallowed nervously as he glared at him, tugging on his collar as he thought of how to start in the simplest manner that he could. "After we found Hong Kong, I frequently returned to check on the both of you. As you know, it was rather smooth sailing the first few years as we helped each other take care of him. Then came the dark times when...well...you were falling into the opium that I sadly brought with me that made me take him away from you. But then about a year ago, the effects of the opium has yet to be seen in the way you act and your strange need for it, I came across a very young nation wandering around in the woods while you were preoccupied as I went to look for Hong's missing panda. He couldn't speak much English, but I understood enough that he came from another land. By then I was already making plans on bringing Hong home with me to England due to our incident. Thinking the worst that my reasons would end up being the same of taking the child away from you too if ever I did show him to you, I sent him back first with my crew; making it impossible for you to meet him. It took a bit of convincing for him to go back to England, and he kept shouting in Maori. It really took a lot of effort to quiet him down. He did see you for a brief moment; questioning me a few times about a woman, assuming that you were for you looked very feminine, that he saw from afar who was tending to flowers. He told me he saw you turn around and your golden eyes smiling at another boy who was with you, most likely Hong Kong. "

"What did you mean by 'assuming I was a woman for I looked very feminine' aru?!" he snapped.

"It was Kiwi's point of view. Now do not interrupt me or I might leave out details!" he exclaimed, chuckling to himself in his mind before continuing. "He was a handful along with Australia, so I asked help from Francis to be his father until the time comes when I would tell you; when the need arises. And No, Australia is not your son if that might pop into your thoughts. He is a different matter but New Zealand treats him as his older brother because he was his only playmate back home before Aussie began to return to his own country to deal with his economy and spending less time with him."

"When the need arises? Ayiah, so if I did not give Kiwi to Francis then you would never tell me about this aru?!" he said as he stood in disbelief, almost knocking over the coffee table.

"Perhaps I chose the wrong words. By that I mean I was still considering when I could tell you about it. Now was not the right time as Francis has his own plans with Kiwi and I did not want you to get caught up in his insolent game of go fish; meaning fishing for Kiwi's resources to boost his already declining economy." said Arthur gravely.

"But Kiwi doesn't have any traits or looks that could prove that he is mine aru. His liking for pandas does not count since anyone can love pandas. Take Prussia for example aru. I need more proof that he is mine aru, because this is very difficult to believe."

Arthur sighed and thought hard for a few agonizing minutes with Yao unconsciously holding his breath as he waited. Arthur nodded to himself a few times, muttering things he couldn't quite catch. A few more minutes passed before he finally looked at him. "Have you ever seen his eyes? And I mean very clearly, look at it for let's say a good ten seconds without averting your gaze on anything else?"

Yao blinked and raised his eyebrow at it. "Well I might have when I talk to him aru but what does that do with anything? His eyes are green like yours. His eyebrows are obviously yours aru."

"At a precise moment, when the light merges with your vision even for a split second, his eyes will glaze over into a soft golden hue before changing back to green. It is very difficult to catch if you are not paying attention or if you are distracted but I have seen it multiple times while I am in my study with the windows open and he would quietly come inside to talk. I am not saying his eyes are dual colored but it changes."

Yao continued to stare at him hard, and then shook his head. "I-I haven't seen it so I cannot really believe in that aru..."

His mind drifts off to that day when they were visiting the Olympic stadiums of Beijing. He was telling Kiwi to stop running off and the child looked at him with sad eyes. He saw those giant green orbs flash gold when a car drove past and its mirror reflected the sun's beams at them but in a blink of an eye they were its original color. He shrugged it off as a trick of light or perhaps his eyes were tired from waking up so early and dismissed the thought. He never once considered it may mean anything else.

"Are you sure you aren't just saying that, Yao? Your silence can be a dead giveaway." said Arthur, smirking at him.

"I-I was thinking aru! Any more possible proof?" he asked, looking away and pouting.

Arthur blinked but then began to think again. His eyes stared distantly at him, and Yao began to feel uncomfortable with being stared at. "I called yesterday to ask how things were going with Kiwi. He was the one who answered the phone, and he told me you were busy with feeding the pandas. I didn't want to bother you so I talked to him instead. And so I asked him how he was doing, and he told me...that he really likes it when you hug him. He joked around how being hugged by Francis felt like a thousand perverts, if you may excuse my words." He chuckled.

Yao practically laughed at that one, smiling genuinely.

"...He likes being hugged by his real father, Yao." He said quietly.

Yao looked at him, a twinge of pain in his eyes. Arthur felt the atmosphere getting awkward and heavy as they stopped conversing. [..Bloody hell why is it so difficult to have a continuous conversation with anyone if I'm the one who's talking...]

"If it makes you feel any better, you'd be called 'dad' or 'father' once we fixed the trouble Francis caused. Kiwi's already used to calling me 'mummy'." He said, chuckling.

Yao felt his face heat up and looked away indignantly. "N-not like it would matter, aru. It would be confusing for Kiwi if we switched roles."

"And I believe we wouldn't want you to be called mum now, don't we?" he said, laughing.

Yao crossed his arms and huffed, a small smile forming on his lips. Arthur smiled at him fondly and Yao felt even more uncomfortable and shifted around in his seat. [...stop smiling at me like that, aru...] he thought.

"Um...let's just say that I accept everything that you just said aru. How will we find out where Francis took Kiwi? I'm very sure that he isn't stupid enough to stay in his own house aru. I could ask my military to track down the car he used but it would take time."

"Same goes if I send word to MI6. Francis also has satellite jammers to block out his signals. Something he made to prevent me from knowing where he has been going during his trips to um...Alfred's twin. Normally I wouldn't bother with his colonies unless they are becoming nuisances in any way. There is no doubt that he would activate them now to make it more difficult to find him."

"Can we ask the other nations for their help aru? Not too many that we needed a world meeting; it might reach Francis' ears if there would be one. Just enough to help speed up the search aru."

"Alright, we'll pick which nations to send the request. Neutrals are out of the list, of course. We could ask Antonio, hoping that he would do it not for the reason that Kiwi is a child. Except he is part of the bad touch trio so I am not sure if we could trust him. Ludwig might help out, and if he does then we could also get Feliciano. Romano would be a bonus if he tags along to separate his brother from Ludwig like he always does. We have to make sure Prussia does not hear about it as well. Roderich (Austria) may not be committed to the task but we should ask Elizabeta (Hungary). Australia would be very willing to look for his little brother."

"Nations close to France I see. I can ask Kiku if he could break the satellite jammers aru. He's very good with messing around with technology aru."

A noise came from behind them and Hong appeared behind the couch. He came in such a quiet manner that they didn't even hear him come close. Yao smiled at him and carried him onto his lap. "I thought you were asleep aru. Did we wake you up?"

Hong shook his head and looked at him. "I want to look for my little brother."

Yao blinked and sighed. Even Hong thinks they're brothers now. "You heard what we were talking about then eh aru? Don't worry, we will find Kiwi." he said, hugging him.

Arthur nodded and extended his hand to him. "Then we have an alliance. Temporary until we get Kiwi back; setting aside any ill-feeling that we may be harbouring against each other as well as trusting one another to send aid if any of us were to need it."

Yao stared at it cautiously before taking it, sealing the pact. [...It is only temporary, aru. As if it would count as some strange union with the arrogant bastard...besides, if whatever he said was true, then I would do anything to get my son back from the French pervert aru...]

"For Kiwi." He said, smiling at him.

Yao felt his cheeks burn but smiled back. "For Kiwi, aru."

* * *

Kiwi held back tears as he whimpered. His mouth was gagged by a handkerchief and his wrists were bound by a rope that irritated his delicate skin, turning them red. Trapped in a room, he trembled as saw nothing but the pitch black darkness and eerie silence. Around an hour of driving Francis placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. He felt a sudden pressure from his hand before he blacked out. He woke up in such condition but only recently did Francis tie the handkerchief over his mouth because of his constant crying for his mummy. He heard the door open with a long creaking sound but no light came in. Kiwi looked around and trained his ears for any movement. Being in the vast forests of New Zealand made it easy for him to use his sense of hearing when his vision is impaired. Yet his fear is getting in the way of his concentration. He let out a high pitched scream as a hand touched his neck from behind and tightened around it. He began to sob as cruel laughter came from nowhere.

Francis turned on the lights and laughed even louder, clutching his stomach as he did. Kiwi looked at him with pleading eyes, only to receive a slap on the cheek. The sound of a backhand to a cheek at mach 5 echoed through the room. Kiwi allowed tears to fall but made no sound, knowing that he would get even angrier. Francis snarled at him and yanked his hair harshly, forcing him to look at him.

"Mon petit Kiwi, do you know how useless and increasingly infuriating you are?" he sneered. "All you do is act cute in front of everyone and cry when you want something. I swear, anyone who Arthur raises ends up as spoiled children, unlike mine who boasts great skill in culinary arts, art, sports and basically everything else hon hon hon."

He smiled at him, mischief glinting in his eyes as he walked closer to him. Kiwi looked at him fearfully as he tried to scoot away from him. Francis grabbed his ankle and dragged him closer to him, chuckling to himself. "At least you have some of Arthur's good looks. That might be the only good thing that you have." Kiwi squeaked as his fingers trailed across his shirt, playing with the buttons and unbuttoning one of them. His daddy's face becoming that of Antonio's when he met him; a kind of twisted smile that sent alarm bells in his mind. He leaned in closer to him, grinning while playing with the curl in his hair. "If only you were older then perhaps we would have some fun. Yet Antonio's the pedophile so be thankful he isn't here." He said as he pulled away from him. Kiwi felt himself hyperventilating.

He got himself a bottle of wine from the cupboard and poured some into a wine glass, swirling it around and inhaling its sweet aroma. Taking a sip, he saw the boy looking at him through the glass and wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Don't think your sad puppy dog eyes would make me reconsider my plans you little maggot. Tomorrow, my friend will arrive and will take you on a little trip; somewhere far away where even Arthur would have trouble looking for you. I'm not even sure if he's still bother to once he finds out where you're going. You might as well start getting used to working as a servant boy, whereas I will indulge myself in making some changes in your country. How does New France sound to you? Your current name doesn't even make sense. There wasn't any old Zealand anyways."

Kiwi stamped his foot as best as he can on the bed, showing his refusal, eyes now glaring at him. Francis rolled his eyes. "Now that I'm threatening to invade your nation, you think you can just throw a tantrum and do that Hakka thing your native people dance to drive people away? Please, people are more afraid of Angleterre's cooking than whatever dance you do around a fire. I'm not even sure why Arthur would even have you as a colony. All you do is make dairy products and export meat and sheep. Any other nation could do that. He is too cautious and does not pay attention when a gold mine is right in front of him. Really, his years as a pirate were much more exciting than he being all prim and proper with his tea and crumpets."

Kiwi muttered something through the handkerchief that he took as some kind of insult for offending the Brit. The boy stood up clumsily and tackled him, making Francis fall backwards and hitting the table, breaking the wine bottle and scattering the glass shards everywhere. Francis gasped as the wine trickled on the wooden floorboards before turning to him angrily and gripping his shoulders, shaking him. "Impudent child look what you have done! That wine took six years to age and now you wasted it! I rest my case. Angleterre's colonies are all rowdy and need to be disciplined the hard way."

Dragging him by the rope around his wrists, Francis brought him upstairs in the attic and threw him at a corner, dust dispersing onto his clothes and cob webs entangled themselves on his hair. "You will stay here for the rest of the night. I won't care if any rats would bite you. And do not expect any breakfast tomorrow either!" he roared, slamming the door shut.

Kiwi started to cry again as he curled up. He heard squeaking noises and feared that there might be rats in here after all. He heard faint noises coming from downstairs, and from the almost inaudible words told him that Francis was talking to someone, most probably through phone. His mouth hurt from the tightness of the handkerchief and he started to lose the feeling of his hands as they grew numb. He struggled to fix his position and crawl to the hatch but instead he knocked over a few boxes and made a dusty cloth fall on him. He twirled and squirmed, making the cloth wrap around him like a net as he trembled, looking at the window where the moonlight seeped in. Arthur will find him, he was sure of it. And starting today, he won't accept Francis as his daddy anymore.

* * *

Alright so making France a big fat meanie is just...I am so mean to him =)) well it's better than making

him to some child molester which I almost did awhile ago xD If my boredom continues then I might have the next chap up

in a day or two. thanks for reading everyone :D Onward to chapter 12 aru (/ *w*)


	12. Chapter 12: Silent creeper

IM BACK 8D sorry if i havent updated though. college entrance reviews are killing me OTL but shall write when

I can :D

Hope you guys will like it :3 and again, reviews are loved :3

P.S: again as always, I do not own hetalia

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**Chapter 12: Silent creeper**

* * *

Phones rang noisily in different parts of the world. Some answered quickly around the first few rings while others were unfortunate to be jostled from their sleep. Arthur and Yao used all the phones available to simultaneously contact their chosen nations that may be willing to help them. Australia agreed on the spot and wasted no time in sending a few people over to France. Kiku had begun to set up their computers in an attempt to jam the existing satellite interference that has wiped Francis' coordinates from their radar, fingers vigorously typing codes and letters onto a main frame. Ludwig, Veneciano and Lovino had set up a perimeter in the corners of France, very careful not to let Gilbert or Antonio to notice the German and Italian soldiers - dressed as civilians – that travelled in tour groups around the French borders.

Arthur and Yao had both postponed their plans on flying a plane there to avoid alarming Francis, relying on MI6 and the Chinese military that resided there to relay information to them instead. Francis' house was noted to be empty when Kiku used a thermal scan in the area while Arthur crossed it out on a map of France that he found in the storage room. They also set their sights on the other countries that may be helping out in Francis' kidnapping. Intel indicated that he was expecting someone to arrive in a few hours so they pulled out some of the other satellites from their usual orbit and were programmed to detect any other nation entering the vicinity other than those involved in the operation.

Multiple computers were sprawled over the tables, each one linked to a specific country as well as the data that continuously flowed into its monitors. Hong watched the bleeping red dots move around the virtual map across Europe as well as a few coming from Australia's marker. He began to open several files and tried to press some keys to get them to open. Yao saw him and immediately scooped him up from the computer chair.

"Ayiah don't touch those, aru." He said, wagging his finger at him and tapped his nose.

"But I want to look for Kiwi too." The boy said, pouting at him.

Yao smiled at him, sighing as he carried him. "Well, can you spy on Antonio and Gilbert for me aru? I will give you your own computer and you keep an eye on them. They might know where that bas- err... where Francis is aru. Okay?"

Hong nodded and got down, running to get his small chair from his room while Yao opened his computer and clicked on the spyware Arthur gave him the night before. Hong quickly went to work in making virtual icons for the bad touch duo and watched as they walked around the screen in their respective countries.

Yao heard a frustrated sigh as Arthur ran his fingers through his hair, glaring daggers at the French map. There were more crossed out areas now, and he has grown impatient. Papers littered the table depicting subways, suburbs, isolated mansions in the countryside and even abandoned factories or warehouses. His attention was divided between the map, the computers and the voice mails he had with Kiku and Ludwig. It was noisier at Ludwig's end because of Veneciano and Lovino's constant habit of trying to get his attention for a fight. Yet he couldn't care less as long as he can still hear what the German needed to say. Elizabeta sent them an email earlier explaining that the best they can do is use emails to send them information instead of video calls because Roderich had a score to finish and needed quiet time. He bit the end of the pen he was holding and strummed his fingers on the table. Where the bloody hell is that frog hiding?

The smell of tea distracted him as he saw Yao standing near him with it on hand. "You should take a break, aru. You've been at it for the last nine hours. I do not recall you sleeping last night aru."

Taking the tea, he smiled tiredly at him as he took a sip. "I see no importance of sleep at this time. At least you had a good night's rest in case I suddenly doze off any time soon."

"This is why you look older than me despite my age aru! I come down for a glass of water at 3 am and I find you hunched over your laptop doing whatever it is that you were doing with the lights off. Do you know how much that could damage your eyes aru? And don't think I did not notice that you did not eat breakfast. Tea alone is not enough!"

Arthur chuckled as he continued to get lectured. Yao paused mid-rant and pouted. "What is so funny aru?" he demanded.

Arthur gave him the best charming smile that he could manage. "If you were worried about me then you need not to address it as if you were talking to a child. I know my limits."

Yao turned red as Kiku discontinued his conversation while they were talking and was now blinking at them through the video call. Ludwig and the Italian twins also ceased their bickering. Loss for words and flustering as red as a tomato, he quietly excited the room muttering curses in Chinese towards the bathroom.

He took one last sip of the tea before setting it aside and returning his focus on Kiku. "Any luck on the system break?"

"I have bypassed a few of the system's security features and disabled the firewalls but even I must admit this code structure is impressive for someone like Francis. He most certainly got help from someone who is also good at encrypting files." He said while he opted for screen sharing that allowed Arthur to view the codes and the current satellite feed.

Hong stared at his computer screen intently before running to Yao's side and tugging at his sleeve.

"What's wrong aru?" the older asked.

"I tapped into Antonio's phone when he called Gilbert and they were talking about Francis and Kiwi." The boy said.

Yao looked at the distressed Arthur before looking back at Hong. "Good boy aru. I'll go and talk to them while you continue spying. Don't tell Arthur alright aru? I will deal with them."

Hong nodded and went back to his own computer. Grabbing his bag, his panda and his car keys, Yao went through the back door and hoped into his car. Arthur heard the sound of an engine and drew back the curtains yet saw only the rear end of his car. He cocked his head to the side and looked at Hong for an explanation but the young boy just shrugged and continued his work.

* * *

Francis opened the door to the attic and turned on a flashlight. Kiwi was at the corner under the dusty cloth that he used for a blanket. The child jumped as the floorboards creaked loudly when he took a step and whined through the handkerchief. Francis turned on the dangling light bulb and took off the handkerchief from his mouth. Kiwi stretched his jaw but made no sound, the side of his lips were red from the tightness of the cloth all night. The Frenchman glared at him but brought a piece of bread to his mouth. Kiwi eyed the bread for a moment, thinking it has some drug in it or something and refused to eat it.

"It doesn't have poison in it you rat. At least I'm feeding you something than nothing at all. He forced me to so don't be picky. If I did not care what he says then you would have nothing in your stomach until he arrives. Now eat!"

He forced the bread into his mouth and Kiwi reluctantly bit into it. His tummy had been growling all night long and he honestly did not care if it was poisoned or not; so long as he had food. Finishing the bread, Francis tied the handkerchief back into place, but more loose this time, before closing all the lights and leaving him in the attic again. He washed his hands with soap, glaring at his own reflection in the mirror.

[..Boneffoy, you wuss...just because you felt sorry for him...]

* * *

Antonio and Gilbert had over six empty bottles of beer on their table while they downed two more. The bar that Antonio brought them to was sweet-as: dance floor, skillful bartender, women in skimpy clothing, private rooms, and the works. Gilbert already did three women with him the past hour and surprisingly he was still sober.

"It would take more than that to get me drunk." He laughed, ordering another half dozen bottles. Antonio just shook his head amusedly as a random woman winked at him from afar. Yao went in and pushed his way through the testosterone fuelled crowed and looked around, spotting the two nations. Antonio choked on his new bottle when he saw him, and yanked Gilbert's hair as he started kissing some other woman who sat on his lap. The woman pouted as he mistook Yao for a chick and slapped Gilbert's cheek with her backhand and walked away. Gilbert blinked before coming face to face with Yao, who was glaring at him murderously.

"..Ah...not awesome..." he muttered.

"Surprised to see me aru?" he said, grabbing a chair for himself and sitting down with them. Antonio suddenly took great interest in the label of his bottle, not making any eye contact at the obviously annoyed older nation. Gilbert scoffed, trying to hide his discomfort. "Why would I be? Have you finally decided to be awesome, but not as awesome as me of course, and ditch tea for some epic beer?" he laughed.

Antonio laughed nervously and regained his confidence by eating one of his tomatoes. "It is unusual to see you here. Come to try the party lifestyle with us? I'm not sure if you can handle it but no harm in trying fusososososo..."

Yao rolled his eyes. "Hardly aru. But judging by Gilbert's reaction, I say you know something that you don't want me to find out. And I'm here to make you say it aru."

Antonio and Gilbert exchanged looks before bursting out in laughter, gaining the attention from some people including the bouncer. Yao felt his ears grow hot and glared at them again, his patience wearing thin.

"Normally you wouldn't even care what we talk about. Why the sudden interest? Your life cannot possibly be that dull for you to bother the bad touch trio. So why don't you just enjoy yourself. Have a beer or two. It's on the house...or on Gilbert's tab rather." Said Spain as he finishes his bottle and lifting his feet on the table.

Gilbert laughed drunkenly. "Unless you can't take the awesome alcohol little Yao...kesesesesese"

Yao felt like people were eyeing him after Gilbert's comment. He doesn't hate it but he preferred tea over beer. Biting his tongue, he grabbed a bottle and started drinking. Antonio and Gilbert smirked at each other as they watched him finish a beer. Yao shook his head as his mind swirled, blinking his eyes and glaring at them again.

"There. Beer is...no trouble for me aru. Now spill! What are you two up to, lurking around like two snakes aru?"

Gilbert smirked at him. "Ha! You call that drinking? Not awesome at all! You're weak! I bet you can take more than that Yao. Or are you still taking baby steps in kiddie bars with your kinder beer?" he taunted, pushing two more bottles towards him.

"What the heck is kinder beer? And no I am not aru!"

Gilbert chuckled as he went tackling another bottle. Antonio gave him a nervous side glance; a look that says 'he's going to kill you, you know'. Yao shut his eyes as he finishes his second bottle, cheeks flushed pink. He noticed Antonio and his eyes blazed, smacking both of their heads. "Ayiah, you are doing this on purpose aru! I will hit you with my wok so hard that you'll lose your memories!" he exclaimed.

Gilbert grabbed hold of the bottles and steadied them on the table before they toppled over, glaring at him. "Hey chill out Yao. It's not like Francis would kill Kiwi or anyth-...oh..."

Antonio smacked him harder at the back of his head at his slip up. At that point, Yao grabbed his collar and made him face him, snarling. "So you do know aru! Tell me!" he screamed. Antonio noticed the bouncers already walking towards them and tried to calm down the angry Chinese man before they get thrown out. "Guys keep it down or they'll ban us from the bar!" he said as he tried to wretch Yao's hands off Gilbert's person.

"You mean before we get sent to jail and we have to use bail to get out on the same day." said Gilbert as they finally forced the mad Chinaman to sit down. Yao breathed heavily, stretching his fingers as he watched the bouncers return to their stations. Everyone else went back to whatever they were doing. Yao was so tempted to get a hold of a bottle and smash the end to use as a weapon but remembering his manners he quickly disposed of the thought.

"I will only say this once, so listen up aru! Where is New Zealand?!" he said, clawing the table.

Antonio felt his throat go dry and quickly downed a beer bottle before speaking. "A-all we know is that he's with Francis. We haven't talked to him for the past few days so we don't know where he's hiding him." He replied, drinking the bottle like it was his lifeline.

Gilbert raised his hands up in surrender and nodded. "He's practically telling the truth. We really don't know."

Yao eyed them carefully before getting up and leaving the same way he came. Antonio sighed and scratched the back of his head as Gilbert began to dial a number in his phone. "Wow...we seriously dodged a bullet there..."

Gilbert scoffed as he waited for the other line to answer. "Francis? It's Gilbert. I don't know what you're up to right now but Yao's sniffing out your trail like a bloodhound...and he ain't happy. Better get that sheep shipped before he catches ya."

Ending the call, he got a beer and downed it in one go, not bothering Antonio as his paranoia acted up and was basically looking at every single corner of the room.

* * *

[...Well that was a bust aru...] he thought as he made his way back to his car. He shook his head again to clear his mind and drove slowly back to his house. At least he was sober enough to drive 'safely'. No one would really question his state if he accidentally knocked over the trash cans when he parked into the driveway.

Arthur was waiting for him when he came out of his car, looking particularly annoyed. Yao gave him a manageable smile but he can probably smell the alcohol once he starts talking. It took him four hours for the roundtrip, and his disappearance was obviously noticed.

"Where have you been? And did you go to a pub or something? You reek of grog..." said Arthur.

Yao waved his hand dismissively as he made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Arthur went back to the computers as Kiku called his attention urgently. Yao washed his face and used a fluffy towel to dry himself off and came back out. He jumped as the brit rushed towards him and dragged him into the kitchen.

"We're in! Kiku's done it!" he grinned widely gesturing to the virtual map with a French marker bleeping quietly on the radar. Kiku zoomed in on the coordinates and gave them a view of a mansion in Lozère, an area surrounded by mountains.

"You can take a train to get there if you don't want to be noticed by Francis if you decided to use a helicopter. But whichever method you choose, as soon as you enter his territory, you can bet that he already knows that you are on your way." warned Kiku.

"Unless he's too confident not to check at all." said Arthur, noting down the details. "We will depart shortly after our late lunch. It would take us nations around five hours instead of the usual ten to get there."

Yao nodded as he went to whip up something simple for them to eat. Hong Kong gave up in spying on the two nations and thanked Kiku for helping them out. Australia suggested to send backup but was quickly turned down by Arthur. "Too many of us might get us caught faster. Though keep them prepped up in case we need them anyway."

Yao noticed Arthur's anxiousness as he finished the dumplings without really savouring them like he would normally do when eating. Hong wanted to tag along too yet was forced to stay behind for being too young for such a task. So far only the two of them would be going while Kiku spoke to them through ear pieces during their recon.

Printing out their flight tickets, Arthur opened a large box from MI6 and began to go through the equipment that they were provided with. Yao stared into them and inspected one of the gun tazers. "Impressive aru..." he said.

"Only the best from MI6..." he grinned, packing some of them in a bag while wearing the useful ones, including a handgun. Keeping the tazer gun, Yao adjusted the frequency to the one Kiku had and tested the quality of the ear piece. Using his peripheral vision, Yao gazed at Arthur as he drew a portable knife and tried a few swings with it. His eyes hardened and turned cold, smirking at nothing in particular; as if holding a kind of sword made him revert back to...nah he's just insane.

Arthur retracted the knife and slipped it into his pocket before grabbing their plane tickets and folding them neatly. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Yao nodded as he zipped up his bag. It's on now.

* * *

Six hours later, the two find themselves aboard a train en route to Lozère. It was a chilly twilight as the sun sets, casting shadows onto the mountains. Yao gazed upon the wonderful scenery despite the darkening of the sky. Arthur was too busy playing with the pocket knife and was seated at the corner. Yao blinked at his sudden mood swing, all quiet and serious compared to how happy he was back at the house. He scooted closer to him and watched as his eyes were glued to the slowly spinning blade. His mouth was moving but he heard no words. His eyes seemed distant, as if he doesn't even notice he was there. Yao leaned in a bit closer and began to hear him whispering something that he cannot understand. A curse perhaps...set on the dagger to pierce its target straight through the heart.

The train slowed down into the station and they hopped off, checking if they left anything behind. It was past seven pm when they arrived, the cool night wind rustling the trees. Turning on their ear pieces, Kiku's voice spoke to them clearly but as they move, the reception turned bad, cutting off his messages. Standing still outside the station, Kiku's connection came back and they listened carefully.

"The mansion isn't far from where you are but it's a rather long trek on foot. If you start now, you can get there in an hour's time or thirty minutes if you sprint. Though I suggest you don't and conserve your energy for a fight." said Kiku.

"Then we should get right to it then." said Arthur as he began to walk with Yao close behind. They trained their eyes and ears for any sound that may seem hostile to them. Arthur constantly checked behind Yao in case someone might be following them. He has fewer things to be worried about though as he requested MI6 to keep track of their progress and keep the radar on for any sign of anything or anyone lurking around them. The chilly night continued that made the grass and trees sway with it, making it difficult to detect movement outside of the road. Rarely would a car pass by, illuminating the way ahead for a brief moment.

Soon they began to see lights from several houses. They passed through them, politely nodding at the people who were outside stargazing. It was awkward how they were mostly couples, especially since some of them mistook the pair for couples themselves, with one complimenting how beautiful Yao was, making Arthur chuckle. Yao pouted and turned away from him. He froze as he felt him hold his hand.

"What do you think you're doing aru?!" he whispered angrily, face blushing.

"We're in France, Yao. If you want to fit in, especially right now, then you have to pretend that were together or else someone might tell Francis about two suspicious men lurking around here..." he replied, feeling slightly pleased that his excuse to hold his hand was legitimate.

Yao twitched but sighed and decided to play along, smiling at the women who passed by them and walked closer to him. A group of young women giggled and batted their eyelashes at Arthur, who in turn, just nodded at them in his gentlemanly splendour accompanied by a small smile. Yao felt his ears heat up as he glared at them, making them hush up and scurry away from the charming man's angry girlfriend. Arthur raised a questioning eyebrow at him but shook his head amusedly.

"Aren't the stars wonderful?" he asked him.

Yao blinked and looked up towards the clear sky, the stars twinkling brightly overhead. He smiled as he looked all over, naming several constellations like Orion, Aquarius or the water bearer and Aries. Their hurried trek became a leisurely stroll for a few minutes, stargazing like the rest of the villagers. The breeze made it even better to be outside.

"In New Zealand, or the southern hemisphere rather, a constellation called the Southern Cross glows brightly. The four stars on Kiwi's flag were inspired by such, and it only appears to them as well. Quite a lovely sight when I visit my oceanic colonies." He mused.

"It is only visible in the southern hemisphere aru? Then it is something to look forward to when I visit Kiwi in the future aru." He said smiling; unconsciously enjoying his time with the brit. [...stupid bastard...he's obviously happy that I'm allowing him to do this aru...]

Sooner than expected however, they stopped in front of a large manor sitting on top of a hill. Its iron gates looked fairly new. In fact, the entire structured seemed to just been recently built compared to the ones they saw earlier. Arthur inspected the walls to find surveillance cameras. With a few buttons from Kiku, one by one the cameras fell dead and their power lights turned off.

"That's the best I can do. I cannot control anything inside the walls." He mentioned through the earpiece.

Yao brought out a grappling hook and aimed it at the pillar before letting it fly; tugging on it harshly to make sure it was stable. H began to ascend the wall and hopped over it, landing in a crouch on the other side. Arthur then used the same thing but used the nearby tree to get down before he retracted it.

"Now let's go get that frog..." he said, sticking to the shadows of the garden as they observed the windows. Francis was talking to someone on the phone again, too busy to see two shadowy figures crawling through the bushes and nearing the back door. Yao was about to move a bit closer before Arthur dragged him back, pointing to something near the window. Pierre, Francis' stupid pet bird, was perched on the windowsill, looking intently outside.

"Can we knock it out with a rock or something aru?" he asked, looking for a small pebble.

"Hmmm...if you hit him without him seeing the rock then perhaps I can catch him when he falls. Then we hide him somewhere that Francis won't be able to hear in case he begins to chirp that annoying sound it makes." said Arthur.

Yao found a pebble but also got a twig shaped like a letter Y, rummaging through his bag for a rubber band and making a makeshift sling shot. "Hong taught me this before aru."

Waiting for a moment when Pierre looks away, he pulled the pebble back and releases it. It started to chirp noisily for a second or two before the rock smacked the poor bird on the head as Arthur dove to catch it. Francis was all the way in another room to hear the rustling of the grass as he made his way back to the bushed. Using a bit of the bandages they brought, they bandaged its beak shut and used twigs and duct tape to trap Pierre in a tree hole like a small prison.

Quietly opening the back door that was conveniently unlocked, Arthur and Yao crept up towards the room where Francis was staying in. The frog just ended his call and began to waltz around the area, making it difficult to land a surprise attack. They split up to avoid crowding in one place with Arthur opting to follow him close behind. Francis smiled knowingly as he walked around holding a wine glass that he retrieved from the kitchen.

Arthur prepared for a tackle and pounced. Francis sidestepped and watched him crash onto the floor, making him laugh loudly. "Angleterre, what do you take me for, a fool? And where is the other one that was with you hm?"

"Right here aru" he said as he knocked him off his feet. Francis glared at him as his wine glass shattered on the floor, getting up. "How dare you break my expensive wine glass, you cur! That wine took ages to perfect!" He drew his sword and swung it at him to give him room to move about.

Arthur got back on his feet and aimed his tazer gun, shooting it at him. Francis dodged in time and sliced off the cord, smirking. "You have to do better than that, mon cher."

"Yes aru, like this!"

Francis received a kick to the face and crashed into the coffee table, wincing. The lamb crashed onto the floor as the side table toppled over, scattering more shards of glass. Francis snarled and tackled Yao, pressing his back against the jagged pieces that scattered from the wine glass that dug into his skin, making him yelp. Arthur then rushed forward and grabbed him by the waist and threw him across the hallway. "Stay away from him!" he roared.

Yao winced as the shards stuck to his back as he got up, feeling a searing pain. Arthur looked at him worriedly and walked behind him, gently pulling them out. Each one making him yelp involuntarily.

"I'm going to kill him aru..." he muttered through gritted teeth as Arthur pulled the largest shard out.

"We'll both kill him but I'll leave the last blow to you." He said, helping him stand. Francis has run off to who knows where inside the manor; and so the chase continues.

Yao has rejected the bandages for now and began to check the doors. Arthur checked the other set of doors but found nothing. Opening the door leading to the basement, Yao tried to flip the switch but found it was stabbed beyond use. "Hang on..." Arthur pulled out his flashlight and went downstairs first, casting the beam ahead. The scent of wine and wood filled the spacious room lined with rows and rows of kegs all neatly lined and dated. They moved cautiously in the dark, listening for any sound. Arthur handed Yao the flashlight as he muttered a spell that made a fire engulf his hand yet does not burn, illuminating a larger part of the room. Yao turned around to see Francis raise a barrel and uses it to hit Arthur at the back of the head. A sickening crack echoed through the room as he collapsed, groaning. Yao ducked as Francis grabbed another empty barrel and threw it at his direction.

"You are insane aru!" he yelled, hiding behind the barrels and turning off the flashlight. Francis picked up the one he threw earlier and stalk his prey quietly in the dark. Another groan came from his right and Yao shifted to crawl towards wherever the sound came from. Francis found another light switch at the end of the room and spotted Yao instantly, throwing the barrel at him. "Take this!" Yao gasped and rolled under the kegs as pieces of debris exploded. Francis hissed and drew his sword, running after him. Yao looked back to see Arthur not there anymore except for small traces of blood. He ducked as the sword swiped at him, and used a keg lid to stop the point from cutting a gash on his face. Francis pulled to get his sword unstuck while Yao seized the chance to disarm him by throwing the keg lid behind him along with the sword. Footsteps behind him made Francis whirl around, only to get punched in the face by Arthur.

Yao swung his leg to knock him over and Francis found himself staring at two blurry faces of Arthur, making him smile. "Angleterre...your twin looks rather dashing...introduce me oui?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and winces, clutching the back of his head. His hand was covered in blood as he pulled it away, cursing. Yao brought out the bandages and began to bandage his head as he sat still, blinking black dots from his eyes. Francis was playing with imaginary stars as he claimed and the two took the time to care for their wounds. Arthur brought Yao over to the other end of the room and told him to take off his top so that he can cover his back with bandages, looking away as he blushed. Yao felt his face heat up but did what he was told, taking his shirt off and letting him patch him up. "Hope it's not too tight..." he said as he knotted it.

Yao gave him a brief smile and a short "Thank you" before putting his shirt back on and helping him drag the Frenchman upstairs and onto the couch. Francis shook his head and glared at them, crossing his arms. "Now that you caught me, I believe you expect me to just tell you where the little brat is no?"

"Steven is not a brat but you are right about the other thing. Where is he?" he growled.

Francis growled at him back before sighing in frustration. "He's upstairs in the attic. There is a pull down staircase near the end of the hallway."

Yao went to check on it while Arthur stayed to keep an eye on the slippery frog. Seeing the rope, Yao jumped to reveal the staircase and went upstairs, waving off the dust and turning on the light bulb. He scanned the room and peeked behind the boxes but there was no sign of Kiwi anywhere. Briskly walking down, he went back to the room and scowled. "He isn't there aru."

Francis and Arthur shared the same shocked expression but only Arthur bared his teeth at him and pulled out the retractable knife, grabbing his collar. "I am not here to play games Francis! Where is my son?!" he demanded. Outside, lightning streaked across the sky and thunder clouds spreading far into the area.

"I-I swear I left him in there! Are you sure you looked everywhere? He couldn't have gotten far, he was tied and gagged!" he said, eyeing the knife cautiously.

"You tied him up aru?! How could you do that to a seven year old child?!" he exclaimed.

Francis began to explain when they heard a sound coming up from the roof. The three exchanged looks as Yao ran outside with Arthur dragging the frog with him. Yao flinched as lightning came down and heard a muffled noise. Arthur looked towards the roof and stared wide eyed at the figure that towered above them and holding Kiwi tightly to his body. His white scarf fluttered with the gale that blew, his face smiling every so happily at them.

"Good evening everyone. I take it that you are not happy to see me, da?"

* * *

HAHA! cliffhangers ftw xD and finally I introduce the person France has been allying with from the very start 8D

what will happen next, we shall see~ and when I saw "we shall see", i mean, see you in 3 weeks as i said in the info up top xD

hope you liked it guys :D

onwards to chapter 13 aru (/ *w*)


	13. Chapter 13: Man Up

AYIAH! truly sorry for taking such a long time to update. College review classes are killing me and it took awhile for me to formulate

this so yeah hahahaha xD But I would like to thank those who are still looking forward for the next chapters and here it is, da? ^_^

Hope you enjoy and once again, reviews are appreciated!

P.S = i still own nothing

* * *

**chapter 13: Man Up**

* * *

"The glares you two have proven my statement...Privet everyone." he said, still smiling in that annoyingly happy way.

"I-Ivan...I had things under control, I swear! But now that you have Kiwi then it's about time you ask them to release me, right?" reasoned Francis as he continues to be wary at the knife Arthur was holding.

"Niet. Our meeting was supposed to be yesterday but you took too long to get the child into your territory. You do know that your slipup will cost you, da?"

Kiwi struggled in his captor's arms and whimpered loudly as tears formed in his eyes, silently begging to be rescued. Ivan sent him a do-that-again-and-I-will-kill-you look that made him shrink back in fear.

"Ivan aru! Let go of Kiwi now! Don't bring a child into this!" yelled Yao.

"..OR I WILL HAVE TO GO UP THERE AND TAKE HIM FROM YOU!" hissed Arthur, waving his knife like a madman.

Russia smiled and took a great leap, landing on his feet when he fell to the ground. His smile showed no malice and he stood calmly in front of them; greatly contrasting how Arthur was behaving. The parties eyed each other cautiously in silence. Then with one swift motion, Ivan brought out his pipe with his free hand and ran towards them. Arthur barely had time to bring his head back as the metal swung a few centimetres away from his face. Yao tried to divert his attention from the brit, only to be shoved back with such force when he met Ivan's kick. Kiwi was shaken in what seems like forever as Ivan moved with speed and agility. Arthur summoned his magic and sent a green ball of energy towards him that was easily dodged.

"..Getting sloppy aren't we?" chuckled the Russian, kicking up the ground to launch him forwards and head butts his gut.

Arthur grunted when the wind was knocked out of his lungs and stumbled backwards, clutching his torso. Ivan held out his pipe as Yao charged forward, getting him by the neck and flings him down. Kiwi whined loudly every time he landed a hit on them; which was practically rather frequent. Francis crawled away from the fight, hiding behind a tree before taking out his cellphone and pressed the number on speed dial. He turned back and just saw Arthur being flung a few feet away; feeling the tension on what the Russian might do to him if ever he had the chance. Yao gave Arthur a glance and nodded, running towards him together. At the same time, the rope got off Kiwi's mouth and he bit Ivan's hand. Ivan growled and dropped him to deflect both Yao's kick and Arthur's magic cast. Kiwi ran but tripped as someone managed to grab his ankle. Ivan's eyes bore down on him murderously but Yao managed to land a kick to his face and let him go.

Ivan wiped the blood off the side of his mouth and smiled at him pleasantly. "Getting better at combat aren't you panda?"

"Ayiah don't call me panda! And I was always good at combat aru!" he said, taking a stance. Taking the short conversation as a distraction, Arthur aimed at him and let loose another ball of magic. Ivan turned and jumped out of the way. Yao charged and sent him a flurry of punches. Smiling at him smugly, he began blocking them and caught the last one with his hand, twisting it behind him. Yao let out a sharp cry as his arm strained and struggled violently. Acting out of instinct, Yao threw his head back and hit him on the face; just long enough to allow him to turn and rip his arm away. Ivan pouted at him and rubbed his forehead, "I've seen you do better things, da? Have you aged a whole lot since we last saw each other?"

"..Of course not! I'm just very busy aru!" he exclaimed as he rushed towards him again. Ivan drew his pipe and got out of his way, dashing towards the boy who sadly was frozen in fear in an attempt to knock him out cold.

"Kiwi, come here now!" yelled Arthur, blocking the pipe from his head using the knife. Ivan used his scarf to get Yao's arm and flings him away before knocking the knife away with a flick of his knife and uses his elbow on his face. Arthur shook his head and looked up with bleary eyes as Kiwi was trying to run away from Ivan. Anger coursed through his body as Kiwi yelped when he got caught, flailing his arms. The ground around him began to glow brightly and ancient markings emerged from the soil to form a giant magic circle. He stood at the center and began to chant, voice barely audible but ominous. The wind began to pick up as the magic circle began to emit sparks and the glow slowly changing into that of blood red and black. Yao watched in awe, transfixed with what was happening. Ivan too was gazing upon the brit but was mentally preparing himself for what was about to come. Arthur felt his knees buckle slightly as he summoned his magic, his anger forcing him to dwell upon black magic to heed his intentions. He wasn't used to the art, but if it means blasting the bloody Russian a few miles away then he would make an exception. He was not the only one who noticed his increasing fatigue though. Yao has also observed his current condition and feared that even if his magic does put them at an advantage, having him passed out would not be the best situation since Francis is still lurking around somewhere and might arrive to aid Ivan.

The Russian stared down on his feet as a sudden cold wave crawled up his legs. Ice began to form around him, keeping him in place. When he looked up, a red ball of black energy collided with him and rammed him into the side of the wall. Arthur breathed heavily as he sent numerous smaller balls of dark magic into the smoking crater. [..Just stay down you bloody wanker...] he thought as he ceased firing and the magic circle began to fade.

The smoke took awhile to clear and yet despite his best efforts the Russian still stood smiling. Several bruises littered his exposed skin and nothing more. He slowly began to walk towards them, his pipe in hand. Arthur was exhausted but kept his guard up, moving closer to Yao who was hugging a crying Kiwi.

"..Ne...That was quite something, da? I should keep an eye on you more often..." he said as he stopped in front of them. "...But I have wasted too much time here. Kiwi and I have someplace else to go..."

Arthur snarled at him threatingly. "...Kiwi is going NOWHERE with YOU!"

Ivan smiled as he looked up towards the night sky. Something flying was heading their way and it was awfully noisy. Yao squinted to get a better view and noticed it was a helicopter but quickly shielded his eyes as it turned on its headlights and focused it on them. Whilst transfixed, Ivan lunged towards them and snatched Kiwi from Yao's arms and went straight to the rope ladder that fell from the helicopter.

"MUMMY!" the boy wailed.

"STEVEN!" exclaimed Arthur as he ran and tried to grip the last step of the ladder but in vain he missed.

"Dosvidanya~" he called as he threw the child inside before cutting off the rope ladder. Arthur watched them helplessly as they flew off into the night, collapsing on his knees. It's all over. They lost. Yao looked at him sadly and hesitantly walked towards him. He no longer cared if Francis was still somewhere in the bushes. He watched as the Briton just stayed there in silence, his body language portraying defeat. Yao opened his mouth to say something when another sound came from the sky and seemed to be headed towards them as well. A helicopter with the Hong Kong national flag drawn on a paper that was attached to the side with an incredible amount of tape descended noisily onto the yard with its lights casting long beams across the property, beckoning them.

[..I taught him well, aru...] he thought, smiling as he forced Arthur up and slapped him across his cheek.

Arthur blinked in surprised and cupped his cheek, annoyed. "What the bloody hell was that for?!"

"..Stop sulking, our ride's here aru!" he called, running to the helicopter and signalling him to get in.

He stared at the thing for a few seconds wondering how he did not notice that in the first place before running towards it as well. Yao closed the door as it began its ascent, leaving Francis to fret over his ruined front lawn.

They re-established the connection with Kiku through the earpiece and Yao immediately asked for the coordinates of Ivan's helicopter and where it was headed. Meanwhile, Arthur was curiously gazing at the missile launcher that he could barely see from the side of the craft, wondering what it would be for.

"In human terms he would be approximately around 1,100 nautical miles away from his borders...but since we nations can travel much faster, it would take him 45 minutes to get there.." replied Kiku.

"...Can't this thing go any faster?" he asked the pilot. Seeing as he had experience with these typed of aircraft he began to indirectly state that if he doesn't let him operate it in the next few seconds he would get the position by force. Being nations themselves, their presence affects the distance and time for them to fly across Europe. Yao placed a hand on the glass and felt it growing cold.

"There they are!" exclaimed Arthur, pointing to the black speck in front of them. Yao pushed him gently to the side to take a better look and squinted. "Is it me or is it coming towards us aru?"

Arthur jerked the cyclic stick to the side in time to avoid a missile that came rocketing towards them. Yao fell backwards with an undignified thump and rolled forwards when he pulled it to the opposite direction. "They're bloody firing at us!"

Kiwi watched in horror as a second missile pod was launched towards what he thought was Arthur's flying thing. In a desperate attempt to help, he got away from Ivan's forceful pulling and pushed a random button on the control panel that made the aircraft spinning around uncontrollably.

"They are nearing the Russian border!" exclaimed Kiku from the earpiece. Arthur and Yao both stared as the enemy craft spun. It took a few minutes for it to stabilize before it started to fly away from them again. Arthur ordered the pilot to chase after them as fast as they could before looking at Yao, his eyes darkening. "...If we don't do something..Kiwi will end up within Russian territory...it would be more difficult if that happens..."

"Then what do you think we should do aru?!" he said frantically.

Arthur shifted his gaze towards the side of the helicopter. Yao followed his trail of sight, eyes widening. "YOU WANT US TO SHOOT DOWN THE HELICOPTER?! AYIAH ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"...W-we have no choice...it may land outside of Russia if we do it now...then we can get down and look for him. Ivan has something precious to us and I don't think he would just let him die just like that...not when he is this close to succeeding..."

"...10 minutes before entering Russian territory."

Yao whimpered, looking at him with worried eyes. "What if he gets hurt aru...?"

Arthur held his hand firmly, giving him with the best reassuring smile he can manage. "I'll use up all of my magic to heal him..."

He flicked a switch on the command board and showed him the red button on the cyclic stick, waiting for him. Yao blinked back tears as he held it hesitantly, hands shaking. Arthur draped his hand on his and nodded, fear settling in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he muttered a quiet apology before pressing down on the button, launching a missile towards them. Half hoping that it would miss; it kept on going until it snagged the tailfin, sending the craft in flames.

Yao watched as a flaming ball of debris came down towards the ground, sending his mind screaming for his son who might end up dead.

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Yeah this chapter is rather short compared to the last few but I'll try to do better on the upcoming ones! Thank you for reading

and as I always say, Onward to chapter 14 aru! (/ *w*)


	14. Chapter 14: Always there for you

AAAAHHHHHH second to the last chapter /sulks. I would like to thank everyone for reading my fanfic as well as those who  
eagerly wait for my updates even if this annoying little bugger takes a long time to do so /smacked. I will try my best to  
have the last one up as soon as I can though school is coming up next week nuuuuu. Once again I hope you enjoy this chapter and  
Reviews are appreciated!

P.S= I still own nothing... BTW have you seen new zealand's cameo appearance in hetalia a beautiful world?! he's  
in episode 17, the adorable guy standing behind iggy wearing yellow and a cute curl! /chatters on and on and on

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**Chapter 14: Always there for you**

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The helicopter descended onto the soft snow, blowing away the leaves that remain on the trees. Yao threw on the coat that Arthur gave him and yanked the door open, running to the giant bonfire ahead. Arthur followed him; the sense of dread tying knots in his insides. Guilt gripped his heart as he tried not to get his shoes to sink into the soft snow. The flames roared and smoke tainted the sky with the wind blowing the fumes in several directions. Yao ran desperately towards it, ignoring the flying debris and sparks that hissed and flicked around threatingly.

"KIWI ARU!" he yelled, trying to get a sign from the little boy. Hearing nothing, he made his way through the burning scraps of metal and into the chopper. He covered his nose with the coat's sleeve as he bent low to avoid inhaling the nauseous gas, looking around. The pilot and Ivan where nowhere to be seen, but he gasped at the sight of a small body in the rear, a metal beam trapping him down.

"KIWI! STEVEN!" he called, walking closer while avoiding the loose ends that groaned and creaked. Coughing, he placed his hands on the beam and lifted with all his might. He reached out to pull him but the weight proved itself too much, making him carry it with both arms with no means to help the unconscious nation. Arthur appeared and offered to carry the beam instead, lifting it higher so that Yao can reach him. Holding his hand, Yao pulled the boy from the rubble and ran outside with Arthur following him. As soon as he stepped out, the flames licked the gas tank and exploded, propelling them face first to the cold snow. Yao curled up into the ball to shield Kiwi from the impact and landed into a heap of snow while Arthur collided with a very hard tree.

Blinking the black dots from his vision, the Brit groaned and shakily stood up, gripping the trunk for support. [...Bloody hell that hurt...] he thought, wincing. Yao uncurled from his position and inspected the soot covered boy in his hands for any injuries. There was a nasty looking bruise on his forehead and a few scratches here and there but nothing seems to be broken. He pressed his two fingers on his wrist and sighed in relief when he felt a heartbeat. Arthur made his way to them and kneeled, pulling out a handkerchief and tied it like a bandage around the boy's head as the bruise bled a bit.

"He's alright, aru. Or alive at least..." said Yao, pulling him close. Arthur on the other hand was scanning the area for any sign of Ivan. He stood and gazed their surroundings intently. "I wonder where he is..." he mumbled.

Bushes shifted to his left that caught his attention, and he crouched low to whisper in Yao's ear. "Be careful...he's still around here...and the tundra is his turf. Find a safe place to hide..." And with that he stood and walked towards the source. Yao carried the boy carefully in his arms and went to the opposite direction while being cautious of where he goes, ears and eyes strained like a wolf. Shuffling in the bushes next to him made Arthur even tenser. He went through a number of spells in his mind, most were for offense but a shield spell won't hurt. The bushes rattled in front of him and he took a stance, preparing himself for a strike. Then, a white rabbit hopped out of the greenery and sniffed the snow, looking up at him curiously. He sighed and clutched his fast beating heart to calm it down, slightly miffed at the cute creature. A cry for help jostled his senses and he ran as fast as he could to where he left them. The cries grew louder as he came closer, praying nothing serious has happened.

'ARTHUR ARU!" yelled Yao as he dodged Ivan's pipe. He clutched the small boy tightly and tried to backtrack but the Russian proved to be fast on his feet even on the snow that makes it hard to move around. "I told you to give him to me, da?" he said, pouncing and knocking Yao off his feet. Refusing to let go, he fell backwards hard, making sure Kiwi was still in his arms. Large green orbs blinked open and looked at him worriedly. "Yao..."

Yao cried out as he jumped up to avoid the pipe from breaking his leg. The metal hit the snow with such force that it left a small crater in its wake. Ivan glared at them but smiled, chuckling. "This is fun. We should do this again sometime. I'll even invite Lithuania and the others. Just don't bring him that annoying little brat of his."

"He is not a brat aru!" he growled and sent a kick his way to fend him off. Ivan dodged easily and distanced himself a bit, smirking. "Oh that's right, he isn't a brat. He's a MISTAKE! An ACCIDENT who got in my way!" Snarling he pounced, arms out to grab the boy. Yao spun out of the way and watched him sprint their way. "AYIAH! GO AWAY YOU CREEP!" he yelled.

Yao scrambled the other way and ran into Arthur who held them both steady. "Mummy!" the little boy cried as he reached out and hugged him. Arthur smiled and held him close, but then was shoved to the side by Yao to avoid a flying pick axe that came their way. Ivan grunted and walked slowly towards them, picking up the axe while swinging his pipe. "If you don't give him to me I will have to pry him off your frostbitten hands..."

Kiwi buried his face in his "mum's" chest, shaking in fear. Arthur snarled at him as he stood, kicking off the snow from his uniform. "You want him? Come get him you bloody sadist!" He handed Kiwi to Yao as soon as Ivan pounced, letting out a blast of blue magic to blow him away. He landed easily and used the pick axe so swipe at him, the edge dangerously close to his face that he could feel it. Cornering him to a line of trees, he threw the axe towards him. Acting on instinct, Arthur cast a spell and broke the axe into pieces and sending scraps of wood everywhere. Yao yelped as the sharp metal whizzed pass them and ducked into a bush, crawling away from the fight. Kiwi started to flail around in his hold. "We hafta help mum!" he cried. "Turn back! Turn back!"

"I'm sorry aru but not now..." he said as he flinched when he heard Arthur fall somewhere with a grunt.

Ivan glared at him, drawing his pipe. "That was my favourite axe..." He sped towards him and kicked his side and rammed the butt of the pipe on his gut, smirking at the blood that came out of his mouth. He staggered backwards but held his ground, eyes glowing green as he shot a blast of magic at his foe. Ivan gritted his teeth as he got caught in it, digging his feet into the snow as he was dragged back upon impact. His uniform steamed and his scarf was soiled, making him pout like a child.

"Eh...my clothes aren't presentable anymore...I should ask Latvia to wash it later, da?"

Arthur got up, clutching his side and winced, breathing heavily as he wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth. Ivan stood there, composed and as if he never did anything as he showed no sign of fatigued. [...My magic is draining my energy faster than I expected...I must act or else I won't last long...] he thought. Ivan lunged and dragged him as they rolled down a hill, punching and kicking. The cold snow bit into their skin harshly, making it difficult to concentrate. Arthur blasted him off with a shot of magic and grabbed hold of a nearby tree's roots to stop him from sliding. Yao and Kiwi appeared a little ways further down the path. New Zealand made the mistake of calling out, catching Ivan's attention and making him slide down the rest of the way, eyes glinting murderously. Yao saw him coming and scooped up the boy in his arms, running away from him. Arthur cursed and let go, sliding down as well.

As soon as he stepped on the ice, Yao slipped and the two skidded across a wide area and stopped at the center. He stared at the ground in horror when he realized it was a frozen lake, slipping when he tried to get up. Kiwi pulled his hands away as the ice burned his skin, wiping it on his clothes to warm them up. He clumsily made his way to Yao's arms when he saw Ivan by the edge of the lake, pipe in tow. He smiled at them pleasantly before bringing the pipe down hard on the sensitive surface. Blow after blow, he drove it down as hard as he can, creating cracks that spread quickly. Yao could hear the water underneath them and his eyes grew wide when the cracks went passed them and making their place even more dangerous.

[...I-If the ice breaks...we would sink...but if we miraculously get out...we might die of hyperthermia aru...] he thought frantically. Kiwi started to panic when the ice below his feet made loud shuddering noises. Arthur gasped when he saw them at the middle of the disintegrating ice with nowhere to escape. Ivan continued to hack away with his pipe. Before he got blown off by Arthur's magic, his last strike caused much of the ice to break away and made the water below gush out from the cracks. Arthur sent a harsh kick to his face and used his pipe to knock him down, leaving him with a bloody gash on his cheek. He ran to the edge and called out to them in desperation.

Yao carried Kiwi and started hopping on the blocks of ice that he thinks is stable enough to step on. Some tipped his balance and allowed his foot to slip through the ice cold water. The cold winter wind blew and chilled his leg but he kept going to reach the shore. Arthur ran to the nearest place they were headed and waited for them, holding his breath. But around a few feet left, the slab Yao settled on gave way, making him slip into the water as he threw Kiwi to him. "YAO!" he yelled, setting Kiwi down before running to where he disappeared.

Yao flailed in the freezing lake, the cold making his actions slow and sloppy. It made it very hard to hold his breath as he panicked for his life. He was sinking even more, and the longer he spent down there the more he felt his energy leaving him. The little light from the surface was vanishing and his sight was blurry. His lungs screamed in pain from the lack of air. He started to reminisce on happy memories he spent with his siblings and friends; more importantly the days when he was with Hong and Kiwi. He smiled to himself while he went through those moments, finding a strange comfort as he drifted to the depths. Accepting defeat to the elements, he thought of silent apologies to everyone who he thinks he needed to ask from. Lost to the darkness, he placed his mind at ease after the apology he meant for his little boy that he was thankful to have saved.

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Arthur shuddered at the cold when he dove in but swam as fast as he could manage. The silhouette was fading quickly but he could see how desperate the man was. He casts a spell that created an air bubble for him to breathe in as he wrapped his arms around him and shot a ball of magic beneath them to propel them upwards. They burst through the surface and he dragged him to shore. Coughing and sputtering the water out of his lungs, he went to his side and proceeded to do CPR to get the water out of his system. Besides, he was trying to save his life so a few kisses won't hurt. He pulled away as Yao coughed and hacked the water out, breathing heavily. He felt two shivering arms around him and he huddled for warmth, realizing they were on land.

Ivan quietly trudged towards them, ignoring his bleeding face as he held the pipe tightly in his hands. God he really hated these people right now, ESPECIALLY that rotten kid who is nowhere to be seen. And now his lovable Yao hates him even more because he tried to scratch out the nuisances that kept him from spending time with him. He stopped a few steps behind them, thinking how to finish the British man off without hitting Yao. The two exhausted nations turned and scooted away from him. The chilly air and wet clothes made them immobilized. Ivan, too, felt tried. But all he needs is the right hit and then he could just throw the British bastard back into the frozen lake afterwards. He inched closer towards them, pulling out the sharp gleaming sword that was inside its faucet case. Arthur can feel the metal cutting through his skin but he held Yao closer, refusing to back down. "I wonder how you would look like cut into tiny pieces and being served as fish food..." he mused. Yao pulled away from Arthur and swallowed his pride, locking his gaze at him. "Ivan please...we didn't do anything to you aru. Why can't you just leave us alone?! You might make friends faster if you would stop trying to kill someone close to them because of jealousy!" he begged.

Ivan pouted childishly and crossed his arms. "I'm not jealous! You keep on rejecting me because nations like them..." *points to Arthur in disgust* "...tell you things about me that aren't true! If you gave me a chance to show you then I never would've thought of this in the first place!"

Yao stood shakily, staring at him incredulously. "AYIAH YOU TRIED TO SHOOT US OUT OF THE SKY! THEN YOU TRY TO DROWN US IN A FROZEN LAKE ARU! YOU ARE INSANE ARU!"

Ivan rolled his eyes. "It is how I handle my problems. Now step aside..." Shoving him aside harshly, he towered over Arthur and pulls him up by the collar, the sword inches away from his neck. "I think it's time that you would regret having nations with people I like..."

Arthur held his head high. "I regret nothing...I have nothing to be sorry for when it comes to nations like you..."

Ivan roared angrily and raised his sword for the final blow. A bright blue light glistened to his left and before he knew it the Russian man was blown far into the center of the frozen lake, crashing through the surface. Arthur fell to his knees and adjusted his collar as Yao ran to his side. Kiwi stood with both hands raised, a faint blue light enveloped him that was slowly fading away. The child was obviously crying, or more like hyperventilating but he ran to his parent and hugged him, whimpering. Yao looked at Arthur with surprised eyes and whispered, "You taught him magic aru?!"

Arthur grinned and pulled the little nation close, kissing his forehead. "That's our strong little colony..."

He chuckled. Yao sighed and looked behind them as Ivan broke out of the surface, coughing and shivering. Voices can be heard from afar and soon Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia) and Toris (Lithuania) came from behind the trees with a new set of clothes. They obviously didn't expect seeing him there so they hastily ran and tried to fish him out. "We should go now while they are busy..." said Arthur, still shivering from the cold but got up with Kiwi in his arms. Yao turned one more time to see Eduard helping a sneezing Ivan up and bundling him in what seems like two or three coats.

While walking back to the chopper, Yao noticed Kiwi looking at him while he laid his chin on Arthur's shoulder. For some reason he felt self-conscious and started to fix his sleeves a bit. Arthur stopped a few paces in front of him and smiled, setting Kiwi down on the snow and crouching down to his level. Yao gave him a puzzled look as he petted the boy's hair gently and spoke to him. "Steven, do you remember that young lady you saw while sailing away on my boat?"

Yao blushed at their conversation but stayed quiet. The little boy nodded and smiled. "Did you find her? I wanna invite her for tea!"

Arthur laughed and made him face Yao. Kiwi looked at him in confusion, blinking curiously. "That person you saw was not a lady, Steven. It was Yao who was tending to flowers." He said softly.

Kiwi frowned at him. "But you said the lady was my...ohhh...you told me she was my daddy..." he said, giggling. "I thought mummy made a mistake. I get it now."

"Would you like to call him daddy from now on?" he asked.

Yao felt a twinge of worry in his gut and a barrage of questions swirled in his mind that made him forget he was even freezing. [...What if he says no aru? What if he doesn't want a daddy anymore aru? What will I do about Francis if he does accept me? Will Ivan go after him even more if I become his father?! Ayiah this is nerve wrecking...]

Kiwi turned to him and looked down shyly, playing with his shirt. "I-if Mr. Yao is alright with it...I-I would love to have him as my daddy..."

Crouching down, Yao smiled at him warmly and spreads his arms. Kiwi understood and hugged him, burying his face in his cold clothes. "I would love to be your daddy aru..." he said quietly, kissing his forehead. He felt Arthur wrapping his arms around them and added a quick peck to his cheek. Yao flustered and nudged him gently, looking away. Kiwi giggled and planted a small kiss on his cheek of his own. Arthur grinned and looked down at them, smiling at them lovingly. They may be geographically apart by hundreds of nautical miles, but this was his family, and he wouldn't want it any other way no matter how strange their story came to be.

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AWWWW FLUFFEH FLUFF FLUFF /smacked anyways hope you enjoyed that :D sorry if there weren't much EnglandxChina though.

as usual, Onward to the Epilogue aru (/ *w*)


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